Children of the Dark - Year 1
by cleotheo
Summary: It's time for Harry, Hermione and Draco to start school. But what happens when two of the golden trio aren't who they appear to be and are best friends with a Slytherin? Dark Hermione! Dark Harry! First in a seven part series.
1. Prologue

**A/N – Welcome to my newest dark Hermione story, only this one has a twist and has a dark Harry as well. As usual, I want to point out that this a dark story. I know not everyone likes dark Hermione stories, so I like to put a warning at the very beginning just so everyone knows where they stand.** **I also want to briefly mention Harry. Since Harry is going to be dark, I've changed a few things about his past. I'm sure some people won't like the changes, but I'm happy with the choices I've made and I feel they work perfectly for this story.**

 **Onto the story itself, and as usual it's already finished. In total it has twelve chapters, including the prologue that sets up the backstory. This is the first part of a seven part story, and each part covers a whole school year. The first few years will be very similar to the books, with some changes, but later years are going to run quite differently. The romance will be between Hermione and Draco, but not until the later years.**

 **I'm currently working on the second year of this story, but there will be gaps between publishing each story. But I can promise that there will be seven parts to this story, it just might take a while to get each part written and published as I have other stories I want to write and don't want to neglect them. I hope people enjoy the first year of Children of the Dark.**

* * *

Lying in her lover's arms, Lily Potter waited for the guilt to sweep over her. She had just done the unthinkable, and cheated on her husband, James. Even though Lily had suspected the event had been going to happen for some time, she'd tried to fight it. However, it was inevitable she was going to betray her husband from the moment Severus Snape re-entered her life several months ago. While Lily genuinely loved James and was quite happy with him, she couldn't deny the pull she felt for her childhood friend. Severus had been her first love, and it would take more than James Potter to change how she felt about him.

"Are you regretting what we've just done?" Severus asked quietly. He'd never for one minute thought that he would get the witch he'd loved for so long, and he fully expected her to dismiss their afternoon together and return to her perfect life with her husband.

"I regret the circumstances of our situation," Lily replied, sitting up and pulling the bed covers around herself. "However, I can't regret the amazing experience we've just shared together."

Severus bit his lip to stop from asking if he'd pleased her more than Potter. Instead he joined her in sitting up and asked her what came next.

"I don't know," Lily admitted. "I guess that depends on you."

"You know what I want, Lily," Severus replied. "You've always known."

"I thought I did, but then this happened," Lily answered, taking hold of Severus's arm and running her fingers over his dark mark. "Have you really left The Dark Lord behind?"

Several months ago, Severus had come to the Order claiming dissatisfaction with Voldemort and his supporters. He'd thrown himself of Dumbledore's mercy, explaining how he was young and impressionable and was sucked into serving Voldemort. Dumbledore had been convinced he wanted to help, and agreed to let him join the Order as a spy. However, the majority of the Order were sceptical of Severus's switch of allegiance and most of them remained convinced it was all an act and his loyalties lay with Voldemort. Lily wanted to believe her old friend had truly switched sides, but she had to admit she wasn't quite sure.

"The truth is, The Dark Lord holds my loyalties," Severus admitted. "And he always will. I will not abandon him."

"This is all an act," Lily said, feeling the tears pooling in her eyes. "You're using me to gain information."

"I would never use you, Lily," Severus insisted. "I love you."

"How can you claim to love me while you're supporting a man who wants to rid the world of my kind?" Lily demanded as she jumped out of bed.

"Things aren't as straightforward as they seem," Severus protested. "It's true The Dark Lord doesn't like muggleborns, but he has no intention of extinguishing them from this world. He wants power, and everyone knows the true power in the wizarding world lies with the purebloods. The blood purity issue is a way of recruiting supporters. He might tighten up some rules regarding muggleborns when he's in power, but he won't get rid of them. He knows a world of purebloods will soon became tainted and inbred, and he doesn't want that. He wants to strengthen magic and those who wield it."

"Even if that's true, why support him?" Lily asked. "Without him everyone would be free to do as they please. No-one would have to answer to his regime and prove themselves worthy. Why not fight for freedom?"

"Because I have another reason to be loyal to him," Severus replied. "He's my father."

Lily gaped at Severus, not knowing how to ask the questions that were swimming around in her head. She was confused how it was even possible for Severus to be Voldemort's son. She knew Severus's parents, and the fact his father was a muggle was the reason he'd lived not far from her growing up.

"Sit down and I'll explain," Severus said, reaching his hand out for Lily. Taking his hand, Lily returned to the bed and sat back beside her lover. "My mother and The Dark Lord had a fling several years ago, which resulted in her becoming pregnant with me. She never told him, or anyone else, until I was seventeen. She told me then who my father was, and I vowed to tell him who I was as soon as I could."

"That's why you joined him as soon as you left school," Lily whispered.

"It is," Severus replied. "I went to him and explained everything. By that time he was married, but he accepted me as his son."

"Are you saying your father is married?" Lily questioned. Not once at any Order meeting had she heard anything about Voldemort having a wife.

"Yes, he's married," Severus replied. Even though he was telling Lily about his heritage, he didn't go into any further details about his father. He didn't divulge the name of his father's wife, or the fact that she had just given birth to a daughter a few weeks previously.

"Why are you telling me this?" Lily asked. "I could go to Dumbledore and tell him all this. He would kill for information like this."

"You could go and tell everyone everything I've told you," Severus agreed. "As for the reason I'm telling you, that's simple. I'm telling you because I love you and I want you to understand why my loyalty is to The Dark Lord. What you do with the information is up to you."

"And what would your father say if he knew what we'd just done?" Lily questioned. "How would he feel about his son sleeping with a muggleborn?"

"I don't know," Severus confessed. "But I do know that if I asked him, he would ensure no harm comes to you. If he knew I loved you, he would do everything in his power to make sure you were safe."

"And why would he do that?"

"Because he loves me. I'm his son, and regardless of everything, he loves his family."

"This is just so much to take in," Lily muttered, rubbing at her head as she felt a headache building.

"Whatever you decide, is entirely up to you," Severus said. "Both regarding us personally, and regarding my parentage. Everything is in your hands, Lily."

"I need some time to think," Lily said, once again rising from the bed.

"Take all the time you need," Severus replied as he also got up and began to dress. "I'll be leaving next week, and won't be back until the summer. Unless of course you tell the Order who I truly am, and what I'm up to, then things will change."

Lily couldn't help but let out a disappointed sigh at the reminder that Severus would be going away for the next few months. For the next few months Severus would be travelling the world doing various training courses in the art of potions making. Dumbledore had suggested that Severus take on the position as Potions Master at Hogwarts, but he'd insisted on several months training beforehand. So for the next few months Severus would be training and next September he would start teaching at Hogwarts.

Once the pair were dressed, they shared a quick goodbye before Lily headed off to think. She had no idea what she was going to do about Severus and the things he told her. She knew she had a responsibility to tell the Order what she knew, but that would mean betraying her oldest friend, and despite everything she didn't think she could do that to Severus. However, since Severus was going to be away for a while she felt as though she had plenty to time to decide on what to do.

However, Lily's problems only intensified a few weeks after Severus left when she discovered she was pregnant. She knew from the timings that the baby couldn't possibly be James's, meaning she was carrying Severus's child. With Severus travelling, Lily knew the only way to get in touch with him would be via Dumbledore, but asking about him would raise suspicions. She also didn't want to go to Voldemort, despite Severus assuring her that he wouldn't harm her. Left all alone and pregnant, Lily did the only thing she could think of. She passed the baby off as James's and waited for Severus to return.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Finally Severus returned home, after months of travelling and training in the potions industry. Severus was quite happy to be teaching at Hogwarts, as was Voldemort who thought it was a brilliant idea, but he could have done without the months of training beforehand. He especially could have done without being separated from Lily. He still had no idea how she was coping after their afternoon together, but the fact that no-one seemed to know who he was reassuring. He just hoped that when he saw her, Lily didn't pretend as though nothing had happened between them.

Severus got his answer the following day at Order headquarters, along with the shock of his life. When he first saw Lily, there were a few other people around so they didn't have a chance to talk, but she did give him a warm smile and whispered that she needed to see him. Unfortunately, they never got a chance to talk before James arrived carrying a new-born baby. Severus watched with a breaking heart as James placed the baby in Lily's arms and gave her a loving kiss.

For the rest of the meeting, Severus avoided looking at Lily and James and as soon as he could he headed for home. However, he'd only been at home for ten minutes before there was a knock on the door. He wasn't the slightest bit surprised to find Lily at the door, although he was slightly annoyed that she'd brought the baby with her.

"Can we talk?" Lily asked, following a sullen Severus into his cottage.

"Talk away," Severus replied. "Although I suppose I should thank you for not saying anything."

"I can't say anything, Severus," Lily said. "I don't want anything happening to you."

"Why does it matter? You've clearly gotten things back on track with Potter," Severus retorted, eyeing the sleeping child in Lily's arms.

"His name's Harry," Lily said. "And he's your son."

While Severus gazed at Harry and tried to take in what was happening, Lily explained what had been happening since he'd been gone. She explained why she'd passed the baby off as James's, and how she'd claimed that Harry was a few weeks premature. She also confessed that she'd been waiting for Severus to return, and that if he wanted her and Harry, they were waiting for him.

"You would leave Potter?" Severus questioned.

"Yes," Lily replied. "Providing you could assure that we would be safe."

"I can promise you'll be safe," Severus vowed. "Let me speak to The Dark Lord and we can arrange for you to leave Potter."

"Now that's sorted, it's time for you to meet your son," Lily said with a smile.

Lily carefully placed Harry in Severus's arms for the first time, and as he bonded with their son they discussed plans for the future. They were going to be a proper family, and nothing was going to stand in their way.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Less than a week after Severus returned, plans were in place for Lily and Harry to leave James and the Order behind. Lily knew that James was due to be busy with Order business on the evening she was leaving. She knew it was cowardly to leave without speaking to her husband face to face, but she didn't know what to say to him. Instead, she wrote a letter explaining everything that she would leave before she left home.

Initially it looked as though things were going to run smoothly. James headed off as planned, leaving Lily to pack up what she needed. Unfortunately, James had forgotten to take his invisibility cloak and he'd only been gone ten minutes before unexpectedly returning to find Lily hurriedly packing her stuff.

"What's going on?" James demanded as he found Lily standing in their room with a packed bag.

"What are you doing here?" Lily asked.

"Never mind that," James replied. "What's going on Lily?"

"I'm leaving," Lily admitted with a sigh. She would have rather left without seeing James, but now he was here she at least owed him an explanation.

"Leaving," James repeated numbly. "Why?"

"Because I'm in love with someone else, and want to be with him," Lily replied. "I'm sorry James. This isn't your fault, it's mine. I'm the one in the wrong."

"You're telling me," James snorted. "I can't believe you're walking out on your husband and son. What sort of woman are you?"

"I am not leaving Harry," Lily said. "He's coming with me."

"Over my dead body," James spat, moving to block the door of the bedroom. "You are not taking my son."

"Get out of the way, James," Lily said, trying to squeeze past her husband.

James refused to budge from the doorway, but Lily was determined to get past. In the end she resorted to elbowing him in the ribs and squeezing past him. Running towards Harry's room, Lily had just reached the door when James grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

"You are not taking my son," He yelled. "If you want to leave, do it. But Harry stays with me."

"He's not your son," Lily shouted back, struggling to get out of James's grip.

"What did you say?" James asked in a deadly voice as he froze in the hallway.

"He's not your son," Lily repeated quieter. "I'm sorry James, but Harry isn't yours."

"Of course he is," James said. "Dumbledore thinks there's a prophecy about him. That's why we're in hiding."

During Lily's pregnancy, Dumbledore had come into a possession of a prophecy regarding the person who could potentially defeat Voldemort. They deduced the person in the prophecy was either the Potters child or the Longbottoms child, so both families had gone into hiding with only a select few people knowing where they were.

"The prophecy isn't about Harry," Lily insisted. "He's not your son."

"I don't believe you," James said, turning and stalking towards Harry's room.

Running after him, Lily grabbed hold of James as she tried to make his see the truth. "He's Severus's," She cried.

The instant the words left her mouth, James let out an anguished cry and roughly pulled away from his wife. As he did so, his arm caught Lily in the face and she went stumbling backwards. Unfortunately for Lily she was a bit too close to the stairs and before she could stop herself she went flying down them.

"Lily!" James cried, rushing down the stairs after his wife.

The second he reached the bottom of the stairs he knew it was too late. Lily was lying at an unnatural angle and her once bright green eyes were staring up at him lifelessly. Breaking into sobs, he collapsed next to his wife's body, which was where he stayed until three men in dark robes burst into his house and all hell broke loose.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

"She should be here," Severus muttered as he paced his small front room.

Lily had been due to arrive at his cottage with Harry, and as of yet she hadn't shown. Severus had been insistent that she should only take what she needed, so packing up to leave shouldn't have taken her long. In his estimation, she should have arrived before now. The longer it took her to leave the more chance there was of James returning home and finding her preparing to leave him.

"I'm going to check on her," Severus announced.

"I'm sure she'll be here shortly," Voldemort said. He was at Severus's cottage to meet his grandson. He could hardly believe that ten months after becoming a father for the second time that he was a grandfather.

"I need to check on her," Severus insisted.

"In that case, we're coming with you," Lucius Malfoy offered. Lucius was Severus's best friend, and he'd been at the cottage reassuring Severus that he would be a good father. Since Lucius himself had just become a father, he could understand Severus's worries.

With the matter settled the three men donned their dark robes and apparated to the village where Lily lived with James. Severus had never visited the house before, but Lily had told him where to find them just in case their plans went wrong. Following Lily's directions, Severus quickly led them to the Potters residence. Spotting no sign of life, the trio broke in through the back entrance and were stunned at what they found. Lily's lifeless body lay at the bottom of the stairs, while James was curled up at her side crying like a baby.

"You bastard," Severus cried, charging at James.

Totally forgetting about his wand, Severus physically laid into James. Hauling him away from Lily, he began to punch and kick at the man who'd made his school days a living nightmare. The physical attack quickly brought James to his senses, and it didn't take him long to start fighting back. Within minutes, the pair were engaged in a bitter fight and both men were quickly bloodied and bruised.

After the shock of what had greeted them upon arrival at the Potters, Lucius flew into action and hauled Severus to safety. While Severus struggled to get out of Lucius's arms, James sat on the floor, wiping blood from his face.

"You murdered her," Severus accused his rival, not bothering to hide the tears that were flowing down his face.

"It was an accident," James whispered.

"Murderer," Severus cried, pulling out his wand.

Before James had a chance to react, Severus had shot the killing curse at him and he slumped to the floor in a heap. Blindly, Severus turned away from James's body and made his way over to where Lily was lying. Collapsing to his knees, he gathered Lily in his arms and hugged her to his chest as his heart broke.

"Lucius, take Severus back to the manor," Voldemort said quietly, watching his sobbing son grieve for the witch he loved. "I'll get Harry and I'll be right behind you."

Lucius made his way over to his friend and gently prised him away from Lily. Severus briefly protested the plan and insisted on getting Harry himself, but he was eventually persuaded that he was in no fit state to apparate with a baby. In order to ensure Harry's safety, Severus agreed for Voldemort to fetch him while he allowed Lucius to take him back to his house in the Wiltshire countryside.

Seconds after Lucius and Severus had left the Potters house, Albus Dumbledore entered through the broken back door, looking for James as he'd been gone far longer than they'd anticipated. Upon finding James and Lily lying dead, Dumbledore flew up the stairs and entered Harry's room just before Voldemort picked up his grandson. Assuming that Voldemort had killed the Potters and intended to kill Harry, Dumbledore flew into action. Within minutes curses and hexes were flying as the two wizards battled each other.

During the fight one of their spells ricocheted off the wall and struck a glancing blow to Harry, leaving him with a scar on his forehead. Shortly after Harry was struck, Dumbledore managed to shoot the killing curse at Voldemort. Much to his horror, The Dark Lord didn't immediately die. Instead he collapsed to the floor in agony and began to fade away. Not sticking around to see what was happening, Dumbledore grabbed Harry and ran. He would sort Voldemort later, but right now he had to get Harry to safety.

Writhing on the floor in agony there was nothing Voldemort could do as Dumbledore snatched his grandson and ran. All he could do was summon his remaining energy and hope he had enough power to apparate back to Malfoy Manor. Luckily his power lasted long enough for him to crash land in the Malfoys front room. With the last words he would speak for several months, Voldemort managed to inform his son that Dumbledore had Harry, before he passed out completely.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

"Calm down Severus," Lucius pleaded with his friend. It was several hours after events at the Potters house, and Lucius was working hard to keep his friend from going off the deep end. "You have to approach this logically."

"Logically?" Severus repeated in disdain. "How can I be logical? I've lost everything tonight. The woman I love is dead, my son is missing and my father is in a magical coma."

"I know things aren't great, but steaming in isn't going to help anyone," Lucius insisted. "There's nothing you can do for Lily, but you can do something for Harry and your father. You know that Dumbledore isn't going to hurt Harry. We might not know where he is right now, but we will find him. I promise we will find your son."

Severus reluctantly agreed that Harry wasn't in any danger. Dumbledore thought he was James and Lily's son, meaning he would probably try to protect him. Looking at things logically, he could see that he would find out where Harry was as part of the Order. However, that didn't make the not knowing any easier to cope with.

"You're right about Lily and Harry," Severus conceded in a quiet voice. "But what can I do for my father? He's in a coma, and no-one knows what's wrong with him. You've seen him Lucius, his body keeps fading as though he's about to disappear."

"First of all you have to stay strong for Beth and Hermione," Lucius replied. Beth was Voldemort's wife while Hermione was their young daughter. "They're going to need you right now. When things get tough, family sticks together. I don't know what else we can do for your father, but it wouldn't hurt for us to look into what he's been up to lately. I think he was hit with the killing curse, but he's not dead and we need to find out why."

"I'll do what I can," Severus said. "But Harry is my priority. I will get my son back, and then I'll help you work out what's wrong with my father."

Less than twenty four hours later, Severus had a solid lead on his son. Word of the Potters death soon started to spread in the wizarding world, and Dumbledore was there to put his version of the truth forward. Dumbledore publicly announced that Voldemort had killed the Potters and tried to kill Harry. He explained that somehow Harry survived, but in doing so had drained Voldemort of his powers and for the time being the wizarding world was safe from his darkness. In private Dumbledore informed the Order that Harry was with relatives, although he refused to be drawn on which relatives.

Luckily, Severus knew James had no relatives and Lily's only family was her sister, Petunia. A quick investigation revealed that Petunia and her husband, Vernon, did indeed have Harry with them. A further examination revealed that Dumbledore had just dumped Harry with the Dursleys and hadn't put any protection in place, he hadn't even sorted spells to ensure that he remained in the care of his aunt and uncle. As such, it was very simple for Severus to pay Petunia a visit and claim custody of Harry. Petunia was more than happy to let Severus have Harry, and for a price she agreed that if necessary in the future they could pretend they'd raised Harry.

With Harry safely in his custody, Severus returned home and talked things through with Lucius and Beth. It was agreed that it was safer for Harry if no-one knew who his father truly was. None of them were really sure what Dumbledore or any of the Order would do if they discovered he was Severus's son. Beth even worried that they would accuse Severus of killing Lily and James to get Harry. It was decided that Harry would live with Beth and Hermione while Severus began teaching at Hogwarts and saw his son at every available opportunity.

As for Voldemort, Lucius and Severus quickly discovered the reason he wasn't dead was because he'd been making Horcruxes, meaning all of his soul didn't reside in his body. More research revealed a potion that would restore some of Voldemort's health, so the pair whipped up a batch. A couple of months after being struck down, the potion was ready and Voldemort finally awakened from his coma. While the potion had restored some of his health and magic, Voldemort was still weak so he was more than happy to let the world carry on thinking he was gone. He was confident they would find a more permanent solution to his condition, and when they did, he would return and let the wizarding world know he was back. When the time was right, he would rise again and with the help of his family and closest followers, he would defeat Dumbledore and finally gain the power he craved.


	2. Chapter 1

**Eleven** **Years** **Later** **.**

In the front room of Malfoy Manor a meeting was underway to discuss the children's schooling. Lucius and Narcissa were obviously there, as were Voldemort and Beth along with Severus. In just under four months' time, it would be time for the children to start school and plans needed to be made. The summer holidays were fast approaching and they needed their plans in place before then.

Draco was obviously the easiest one of the trio to sort. Everyone knew the Malfoys had a son and it would only be expected that he attended Hogwarts and follow in the family's tradition of being in Slytherin. Lucius had admitted that he liked the idea of sending Draco to Durmstrang as it actually taught dark arts, as opposed to Hogwarts defence against the dark arts, but he agreed with everyone else that the trio should all attend school together.

Harry was the next one up for discussion, and again a lot of things were already decided. Even though Harry had been raised by Severus, Voldemort and Beth, the Order were blissfully unaware of it. They still thought he was residing with his muggle relatives, and that was the way they were going to make sure it stayed. Plans were already in place to visit the Dursleys and ensure that they went along with the plan, and when necessary they would be there to play the part of guardians to Harry.

"But what about his house?" Narcissa queried. "He's as much a Slytherin as Draco and Hermione. But won't that arouse Dumbledore's suspicions given who he thinks his parents are."

"Plus we did decide its better that Harry and Draco aren't friends in school," Severus added. They all knew that Dumbledore would keep an exceptionally close eye on Harry if he was to befriend Draco.

"I do think we're going to have to ensure Harry is sorted in Gryffindor," Voldemort said with a hint of disappointment. He knew his grandson would have made a great Slytherin, but it just wasn't to be.

For the next few minutes a discussion took place as they decided on the best way to ensure Harry went into Gryffindor. Of course they fully intended to talk to Harry, and he could help sway the hat, but they needed a back-up in case things went wrong. However, they had plenty of time to find a way to influence the hat so there was no rush to find an answer right there and then.

With Draco and Harry sorted, attention turned to Hermione. They all knew that finding a way for Hermione to attend Hogwarts and stay off Dumbledore's radar was going to be the hardest to achieve. For the last few weeks Voldemort and Beth had discussed sending her as herself, only using Beth's maiden name of Granger. They'd contemplated pretending that Beth was a single mother and Hermione's father wasn't around, but they weren't sure how nosey Dumbledore would get.

"Would it arouse his suspicions?" Beth asked Severus.

"I don't know," Severus admitted. "He's been at Hogwarts for a long time now, and he knows the parents of nearly every pureblood and half-blood who comes into the school. There's not many students come into school with parents he hasn't taught."

"And he would be suspicious of me since he never taught me," Beth said. She was originally from Canada, and she'd attended an American magical school.

"Maybe not suspicious, but he might ask around about you," Severus said. "I guess it depends on Hermione, and what he thinks of her."

"I still think that's a risk we shouldn't take," Voldemort said. "Hermione needs to attend school and be insignificant to Dumbledore."

"How about sending her as a muggleborn?" Narcissa suggested. "I'm sure we can whip up a history for her and Severus can add her to the names of the muggleborns due to start Hogwarts in September."

"She could then be support for Harry in Gryffindor," Severus said, liking the idea of his son and sister having each other to lean on in school. "Dumbledore won't question a muggleborn."

Voldemort was silent for a few minutes before nodding his head once. "It could work. Although, I also think we need to find a way to keep Dumbledore thinking Harry is the wizard from the prophecy he heard. We need a way to make Harry and Hermione look like heroes."

It was only after the Potters death that word had leaked out about a prophecy Dumbledore had heard about the person who would be The Dark Lord's downfall. With his position at the Order, Severus heard enough to know that Dumbledore had suspected the prophecy was referring to either Harry or the Longbottoms son, Neville. Because of what had happened with James and Lily, Dumbledore was convinced that Harry was the boy in the prophecy, and they were all quite happy to have him believing that. As long as he believed Harry was the saviour of the wizarding world he would trust him implicitly, and it would give Voldemort time to find out more about the prophecy and discover who really could be his downfall.

"Why do Harry and Hermione need to look like heroes?" Beth asked with a frown. "Won't that make them stand out even more?"

"It'll ensure that Dumbledore trusts them implicitly," Voldemort told his wife. "Don't worry, I won't let any harm come to either Harry or Hermione. They'll be fully aware of the plan and what they're to do over the course of the year."

"Do you have a plan in place?" Lucius asked.

"I do. And it involves the Philosopher's Stone," Voldemort replied, before filling in the others on the plan he was thinking of putting together.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

"Are you ready?" Beth asked Harry.

The pair were outside of The Leaky Cauldron with Hermione, and it was time for them to go shopping for their school belongings. The first part of the plan had ran like a dream and Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress, had visited both Harry and Hermione to inform them of their magical status. Even though Harry wasn't a muggleborn, he'd still received a personal visit as everyone thought he'd been raised by muggles. Among the things McGonagall had explained to them, was Diagon Alley. She'd given every muggleborn directions to The Leaky Cauldron and promised that if they visited on one of three set dates, she would be there to help them with anything they needed.

"I'm ready," Harry replied quietly.

"Don't forget your glasses," Hermione said, pointing to the glasses that stuck out of Harry's pockets.

"Thanks," Harry said, smiling at Hermione as he plonked the glasses on his face. The lenses were actually clear and he didn't need to wear them, but they were all part of his act as James Potter's son. James wore glasses, and they were hoping that the presence of glasses would distract from the fact he had a slight look of Severus about him.

"Good luck darling." Beth leant down and gave Harry a quick kiss on the cheek before pushing him towards the doors of the pub. Once Harry had been in the pub for five minutes or so, she and Hermione would enter since Beth was posing as Hermione's muggle mother, Jean.

Harry pushed his way into the darkened pub, and almost immediately he spotted the imposing figure of Professor McGonagall talking to a couple with a boy that looked to be his age. Trying to avoid some of the less savoury looking patrons, Harry made his way over to McGonagall, who'd just finished with the family and sent them through the back of the pub.

"Harry." McGonagall smiled warmly at the young boy as he approached her. "Are you alone?" She asked with a frown, her eyes scanning for his aunt and uncle.

"Uncle Vernon dropped me off," Harry replied. "He had a meeting he couldn't miss."

"Couldn't your aunt accompany you?" McGonagall asked. The fact Harry was on his own just added to her opinion that the Dursleys weren't the right people to be raising the young wizard.

"Dudley's ill," Harry said. "She couldn't leave him."

"Very well," McGonagall replied and Harry could tell she wasn't at all impressed. "Luckily, you won't be going into Diagon Alley alone. With your rather unique situation, Professor Dumbledore thought you should have a guide. Hagrid?" She called over to a beast of man who was sitting at the bar nearby.

Harry's eyes nearly popped out of his head when the man stood up and his head almost brushed the ceiling. Hagrid came ambling over to the pair, and Professor McGonagall made the introductions. Harry nodded along politely, and warily followed Hagrid as he led him out into the back yard of the pub. Harry wasn't sure about being left alone with what he could only presume was a half-giant, but he knew it wasn't wise to argue if he wanted to get people to trust him.

"We'll go to Gringotts first," Hagrid announced, leading the way through a doorway and into Diagon Alley.

For a moment Harry stood in awe, soaking up the scene of Diagon Alley. He'd heard all about Diagon Alley from various people, but he'd never experienced it before, and he was thrilled that it was just as magical as he'd always heard. Of course he'd visited a few other magical places in foreign countries, but there was something special about Diagon Alley.

"What's Gringotts?" Harry remembered to ask, even though he knew the answer.

"The wizarding bank," Hagrid replied. "It's run by goblins. Nasty little blighters, so you don't want to go upsetting them."

Harry nodded as he followed Hagrid down the street. Looking left and right, Harry took in the sights as they approached the wizarding bank at the end of the street. When they entered Gringotts, Harry was awestruck by the goblins studiously working at their benches and counting large piles of galleons.

When they approached a goblin, Harry was rather taken aback when Hagrid produced a key to a vault that was in his name. When they reached the vault and found it stuffed with money, Harry felt slightly guilty taking a few bagful's as he knew technically it wasn't his. The money came from the Potter family, and even though James was responsible for his mother's death, he still felt bad about taking it. As he stuffed the bags of money into his pocket he made a mental note to keep track of everything he spent and when he was older he would return it to the Potters vault.

After finishing with Harry's vault, Hagrid paid a visit to another vault and removed a small bag. Harry had a sneaking suspicion what was in the bag, and he just hoped that he would be able to pull off what his grandfather wanted him to do over the course of the coming year.

"Let's start with robes," Hagrid said when they exited the bank. "You go and get yourself fitted for robes and I'll go and grab your cauldron and bits."

Thanking Hagrid, Harry handed him some money and a list before heading off in the direction the half-giant had pointed him. Entering Madam Malkins, Harry had to stop himself from smiling when he spotted a familiar blond boy getting measured for his robes.

"Hogwarts?" Madam Malkin asked, briefly looking up from where she was kneeling on the floor in front of Draco.

Harry nodded and Madam Malkin directed him to the stool next to Draco. While the witch went back to measuring Draco, he rolled his eyes at his friend, before sticking out his hand and starting his act.

"Hello."

"Hi," Harry returned, shaking Draco's hand.

"So you're off to Hogwarts," Draco said. "So am I. What house do you want to be sorted into?"

"I don't really know," Harry replied.

"Of course, I'm going to be in Slytherin," Draco continued, sounding slightly boastful. "Although really anything but Hufflepuff would be great."

Harry had to stifle his laugh when Draco insulted Hufflepuffs, especially as Madam Malkin glared at him disdainfully. Instead, he stood there as Draco started to ramble on about quidditch and how he hoped he made the house team. After only a few minutes, the door to the shop opened and Narcissa entered the shop.

"Are you finished?" She asked Madam Malkin.

"He's all measured," Madam Malkin replied. "The robes will be ready in an hour."

"We won't be here that long," Narcissa replied. "Send them to the manor."

"Of course Mrs Malfoy," Madam Malkin replied with a tight smile.

"Come on Draco, we need to get your wand," Narcissa said.

"See you later," Draco called as he hopped off his stool and sauntered out of the shop with Narcissa.

With Draco gone, Madam Malkin focused her attention on Harry as she got his measurements. Like with Narcissa, she told him the robes would be ready in an hour if he wished to return for them. Thanking the witch, Harry headed out of the shop and spotted Hagrid emerging from the apothecary.

"Hey Hagrid," Harry greeted with a cheery smile. "What's next?"

"Let's go and get your wand," Hagrid replied. "Ollivander's is the best place for that."

"Okay," Harry replied. "Hagrid, what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"

"They're two of the four houses at Hogwarts," Hagrid replied. "Each student is sorted into a house when the start and for the next seven years that house is like their family."

"What's wrong with Hufflepuff?"

"Why would you think anything was wrong with Hufflepuff?" Hagrid demanded. "Hufflepuffs are lovely people."

"There was a boy in the robe shop, and he mentioned not wanting to be sorted into Hufflepuff," Harry explained. "He was confident he was going to be in Slytherin."

"Now there's someone you shouldn't trust, Harry," Hagrid warned. "Slytherins are nothing but bad news. Mark my words, no good will come of befriending Slytherins."

Even though Harry had heard about people's prejudice against Slytherins, it was still interesting to witness it first-hand. He knew Draco had just been joking about Hufflepuffs and actually had nothing against them, but he could tell it wasn't the same with Hagrid. He genuinely believed that all Slytherins were evil, and he'd happily judged someone he hadn't met just because he was likely to be sorted into Slytherin.

Wondering how much more bigotry against Slytherins he would run into over the course of his school years, Harry continued with his shopping. He was delighted to buy a wand that was twinned with his grandfathers, and even though Ollivander had claimed his grandfather's wand had given him his scar, he knew better. He knew the scar was a result of the fight between his grandfather and Dumbledore, and in actual fact it was impossible to tell which one of them had cast the spell that grazed him. However, Ollivander's claims didn't faze him one bit, he was just eager to find out if his wand and his grandfather's had any special connection or powers.

After buying his wand, Hagrid bought him an owl as a birthday gift. They then went to get his books, where they bumped into Hermione and the pair got talking, supposedly activating their friendship. To finish they picked up Harry's robes from Madam Malkins, before Hagrid escorted him back to The Leaky Cauldron.

"I'll see you when you get to school, Harry," Hagrid said, smiling at the young wizard.

"I'll look forward to it," Harry replied.

Saying his goodbyes to Hagrid, Harry headed outside. Shortly after he'd exited the pub, Hermione and Beth emerged and the trio headed home. So far everything was going great, but the real test would come in a few weeks when they actually started school.

* * *

 **A/N - I forgot to mention that updates will be the normal Monday, Wednesday and Friday.**


	3. Chapter 2

It wasn't until the day before the trio were due to start Hogwarts that Harry realised he didn't have a clue about how to get onto the platform to board the Hogwarts Express. During McGonagall's preliminary visit with the Durselys she'd explained the train would depart from Platform Nine and Three Quarters at exactly eleven o'clock on the first of September. He'd only realised that he didn't know how to access the platform when Hermione and Draco were having a discussion about leaving for Hogwarts and Hermione had mentioned using the muggle entrance to gain access to the station.

"What do you mean, you don't know how?" Hermione asked Harry when he voiced his concerns. "Surely Professor McGonagall mentioned it when she gave you the time and place where the train departs from."

"She never said a word," Harry replied. "She just told me the train leaves from Kings Cross Station at Platform Nine and Three Quarters."

"There is no Platform Nine and Three Quarters in the muggle world," Hermione pointed out. "You have to access it via a magical barrier."

"Why wouldn't she tell me that?" Harry asked in confusion. "Do you think they're trying to stop me from going to Hogwarts?"

"More like Dumbledore has something planned," Draco said. "I bet you any money that you get a helping hand tomorrow morning. Someone will come along and show you the way."

Despite Draco's optimism, Harry was still concerned that he would be left stranded in the muggle world when it came time for him to start school. Fortunately, Hermione was able to explain how to get onto the platform and it was decided that if Harry thought no-one was coming to help him, he would access the platform himself.

Although Harry needn't have worried as Draco's prediction about help came true. The next morning, Harry was wandering around in between Platform Nine and Three Quarters, wondering if he should just use the gateway he knew existed, when a plump redheaded woman bustled past herding a bunch of kids.

"It's the same every year, packed with muggles," Harry heard her mutter as she passed him.

Harry fought the urge to roll his eyes at the perfect timing the family had used in passing him. It was clear this was the help Dumbledore had sent him. Why else would a wizarding family be using the muggle entrance? Especially since there looked to be four kids with trunks and a younger girl tagging along.

Making sure he looked suitably curious, Harry watched as the first of the boys disappeared through the barrier in between platforms. Once the two identical looking boys had disappeared as well, Harry stepped forward and cautiously asked if they could help him.

"Is it your first time at Hogwarts?" The older witch asked and Harry nodded. "It's Ron's too."

The boy who had yet to move through the barrier, gave Harry a timid smile. Harry smiled back at the redheaded boy, before turning his attention back to the older witch who instructed him how to get through the barrier.

Bracing himself, Harry ran straight at the wall with his trolley and emerged onto a bustling platform. For a while, he merely stood there his mouth dropping open as he took in the sight of the gleaming red Hogwarts Express. It really was a stunning sight and he couldn't wait to start his Hogwarts adventure.

"Wow," He whispered to himself as he slowly headed towards the train.

As he hauled his trunk and bird cage onto the train, he spotted Draco boarding the train a few doors down with a few boys he didn't know. Even though Harry and Hermione were good friends with Draco, they'd never met any of his other friends. Their existence was a secret, and only the Malfoys knew who they both were. Despite wishing he could go and sit with Draco, Harry finished boarding the train and began looking for a place to sit. Almost immediately, a familiar brunette head poked out of a carriage and he headed off to join Hermione. While he might not have been able to sit with Draco, at least he had Hermione.

"Made it I see," Hermione said with a chuckle as she helped Harry store his trunk on the shelves above the seats.

"I had help," Harry replied, telling Hermione about the family that had assisted him onto the platform.

"Red hair and a bunch of kids, it sounds like Weasleys to me," Hermione said. Her father had briefed both her and Harry on which members of the Order they might bump into it, and the Weasleys had been pretty high on the list.

"I thought so too," Harry agreed. "Why do you think Dumbledore sent them though? They had to have drawn some attention in the muggle world. There were at least six of them and they weren't exactly being discreet."

"Maybe Hagrid told him about Diagon Alley," Hermione replied with a shrug. "He might have been worried about you befriending Draco."

"I never told Hagrid I was speaking to Draco," Harry argued.

"But you told him you were talking to someone who was convinced they were going to be in Slytherin," Hermione countered. "I can't imagine Dumbledore would want you befriending Slytherins."

"If Grandpa's spell doesn't work, we might very well be Slytherins," Harry remarked. Even though both he and Hermione were under instructions to try and persuade the sorting hat to place them in Gryffindor, Voldemort had found a spell that Severus could use so that he could sway the hat's decision if necessary.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine," Hermione reassured Harry, giving him a smile. Even though he was technically her nephew, Harry felt more like her brother and the pair were extremely close. That wasn't to say she wasn't close to her real brother, but the big age gap made things different with Severus.

"Ooh look, we're moving," Harry called.

Hermione and Harry both moved to look out of the window and they watched as the train pulled out of the station. Just as they were returning to their seats, the door to the compartment opened and a redheaded boy poked his head inside. When he saw Harry, his face lit up and he beamed widely at the other boy.

"Hey, can I join you? Everywhere else is full."

"Sure," Harry replied. "It was Ron, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Ron replied as he entered the compartment, pulling his trunk behind him. "I'm Ron Weasley."

"Harry Potter," Harry said, offering his hand for the other boy to shake.

"And I'm Hermione Granger," Hermione added.

"Do you two know each other?" Ron asked as he took a seat.

"We met in Diagon Alley," Hermione answered.

Over the course of the train ride, Harry and Hermione got to know Ron. He wasn't someone they would have chosen to befriend, but they could both see the advantage of having a friend in a Weasley. The friendship between Harry and Ron seemed to come slightly easier, whereas things were a bit uncomfortable between Hermione and Ron. Ron slightly grated on Hermione, and she suspected that he found her a bit boring and a bit of a know-it-all.

When the train arrived at its destination, Harry, Hermione and Ron alighted, trying to take everything in. The platform in the village where they'd arrived was packed with students of all ages. However, before they had a chance to work out what they were supposed to be doing a giant of a man appeared, calling for all first years.

"That's Hagrid," Harry said to Hermione and Ron. "Hey Hagrid," He called as he led the way over to Hagrid.

"Hello, Harry," Hagrid replied with a warm smile, before turning his attention back to gathering the rest of the first years.

Once all the first years had been gathered, Hagrid led the group down a pathway to where several small boats were docked on a large lake. Everyone clambered into the boats, and Hagrid set them off towards Hogwarts with a tap of his umbrella against the side of the boat he was in. As the large castle of Hogwarts appeared in the moonlight, the entire group of first years were in awe. Murmurs of appreciation and gasps of delight echoed around the boats as they approached the castle.

When the boats reached the final destination, Hagrid oversaw the students alighting and heading up to the castle. At the front door he handed them over to Professor McGonagall, who led them to the doors of The Great Hall. Before entering, McGonagall gave them a speech about the house they were about to be sorted in being like their family for the next seven years.

When they entered, the first years were confronted with a giant room. Four long tables ran the length of the room, and at the top of the room was a long table where all the Professors sat. Above their heads, thousands of candles floated in mid-air underneath a star filled sky.

"It's enchanted," Hermione said to Harry when she spotted him staring at the ceiling. "I read about it in Hogwarts: A History."

From Harry's other side, Hermione saw Ron roll his eyes at her, but she ignored him. Instead she turned her attention to the sorting hat that sat on a stool, and her nerves kicked in. Hopefully things would go alright, but there was still the possibility that their entire plan was going to fall apart in the next ten minutes or so. As Dumbledore stood up to give a speech, Hermione's attention turned to the Professor's table and she caught her brother's eye. She doubted anyone else would notice the subtle smile he gave her before he returned to sweeping his gaze over The Great Hall.

"Here we go," Harry muttered as Dumbledore's finished his speech and McGonagall called up the first student to be sorted.

A few students had been sorted before McGonagall called out Hermione's name. Pushing aside her worries, Hermione walked confidently up to the stool and perched on it as McGonagall placed the hat on her head.

"So very interesting," The hat murmured. "Such a dark heart with a massive thirst for knowledge. But oh so brave at the same time. You would give your life for the ones you love. So many options as to where you would excel."

"Gryffindor please," Hermione whispered to the hat.

"Are you sure?" The hat asked. "Slytherin would welcome a witch like you, and Ravenclaw would love you have you amongst their numbers. But if you're sure. GRYFFINDOR!"

Hermione let out a sigh of relief as the hat shouted his choice. When McGonagall removed the hat from her head, Hermione made her way to the Gryffindor table where she was greeted warmly by the Weasley twins. Settled at the table, Hermione watched the rest of the sorting with interest. When it was Draco's turn, he was sorted into Slytherin before the hat even touched his head.

"Typical Malfoy ending up in Slytherin," One of the twins muttered, while the other one nodded in agreement.

Hermione's attention didn't stay on Draco for long as it was Harry's turn to be sorted. With baited breath, she watched as Harry tentatively made his way up to the stool and sat down. Up at the front of the hall, Harry was taking a few calming breaths as the hat settled on his head.

"Ah, another interesting sorting," The hat mused. "Your head's screaming Gryffindor, but your heart is with Slytherin. You're so very conflicted. You've got such potential for darkness and Slytherin will only nourish that darkness."

"Not Slytherin," Harry muttered. "Not Slytherin."

"If you're sure, then it better be GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry let out a relieved grin as he hopped off the stool and rushed over to the Gryffindor table. Settling down next to Hermione, he watched the remainder of the sorting before the feast got under way. Of course Ron was sorted into Gryffindor and he joined them for the feast.

"Isn't it great," Ron gushed as he piled his plate up with some of everything that was on offer. "We're all in the same house."

"Brilliant," Harry answered, even as his gaze drifted over to the Slytherin table where Draco was laughing and joking with a few other first years.

"I think you're being watched, Harry," Ron said, nodding at the Professor's table.

Harry turned his head to the side and was unsurprised to find both Dumbledore and his father watching him. Dumbledore gave him a reassuring smile before turning back to his food, whereas Severus watched Harry for a few more minutes before turning away.

"Who is he?" Ron asked his brothers.

"Professor Snape," Percy answered. Harry and Hermione had already discovered that the fun loving twins were Fred and George and Percy was the more serious older brother. "He's head of Slytherin and the Potions Professor. Although everyone knows he wants to teach Defence against the Dark arts, but Dumbledore won't let him near it."

"Why not?" Hermione asked.

"He was a supporter of You-Know-Who," Percy answered. "He's supposed to be on our side now, but I don't think people are really sure about him. I'd watch out for him, he doesn't like Gryffindors and I'm sure he'll make your lives as hard as he can."

"We'll do our best to avoid him," Ron said.

Hermione and Harry remained silent, each of them hiding their annoyance at people speaking badly of Severus. They both suspected it was something they were going to have to get used to doing as it was obvious that Severus wasn't popular amongst the Gryffindors, and they suspected it would be the same with the rest of the Order.

Luckily the rest of the feast passed without any major incidents, and once they were finished eating the prefects led them up to Gryffindor Tower. Just walking up to Gryffindor Tower proved that finding their way around wasn't going to be easy. But that was a problem for another day. Right now both Harry and Hermione were tired and they had their new dorms to settle into. Their adventures were only beginning, and they would need their sleep for what was to come over the rest of the school year.


	4. Chapter 3

Settling in at Hogwarts came pretty easy for Draco. While it was shame he couldn't openly be friends with Harry and Hermione, he had at least had other people he knew in Slytherin. He actually knew three of the four boys he shared a dorm with before Hogwarts, and the group quickly befriended Blaise Zabini, the other Slytherin boy in their year. Despite the five boys quickly becoming friends, Draco was soon thought of as the leader of the group, a position he was more than happy to assume.

For the first few weeks of term, Draco's focus was on his lessons and settling into them. Potions quickly became his favourite lesson, although that might possibly have been because he'd known Severus all his life. Professor McGonagall quickly became Draco's least favourite Professor as it appeared as though she didn't know how to have fun, she was always so serious and dull. Another Professor he found hard work was Quirrell, the Defence against the Dark Arts Professor. He was a bumbling idiot as far as Draco was concerned and the man seemed frightened of his own shadow, he hardly seemed qualified to teach the students how to defend themselves from dark magic.

With all his focus on settling in at school, Draco hadn't had a lot of time to think about Harry and Hermione. Obviously the Slytherins and Gryffindors shared a few classes together, and he knew the pair had befriended Ron Weasley, but he hadn't had a chance to talk to them and ask them how they were settling in. He was hoping once they all got properly settled in that they could find a way to see each other on a regular basis.

Another thing Draco was curious about was how their plan to save the Philosopher's Stone was coming along. Despite the fact he couldn't really be involved, Draco knew all about the plan and he knew what Harry and Hermione had been told to do. Although now he thought about it, he had no idea if the stone was even in the castle as Voldemort was so sure it would be. For all he knew something had gone wrong and Dumbledore had hidden the stone somewhere far from Hogwarts.

Draco got his first hint that the plan was still in motion a couple of weeks into the term when the Slytherins headed down for breakfast, and they spotted Harry, Hermione and Ron huddled around the paper. Even though Draco's contact with his friends had been limited, there been enough contact to establish a rivalry between the Slytherins and Gryffindors.

"I wonder what those three are up to," Theo Nott remarked as they settled down to eat.

"Let's find out, shall we," Blaise said, grabbing an unopened paper from the table. On every house table there were a few copies of The Daily Prophet for the students who wanted to keep abreast of the news.

Flicking through the paper, the Slytherins only found one story that could possibly be of interest to them. There was a small article about a recent robbery attempt at Gringotts. According to the article, nothing had been taken as the vault in question had been emptied over the summer. Of course, Draco knew exactly what the vault had contained and who was behind the attempted robbery.

"Why are they interested in an attempted bank robbery?" Theo asked, eyeing the Gryffindors suspiciously.

"Maybe they're surprised someone would even attempt to steal from Gringotts," Draco suggested. "It's not exactly a wise move to steal from goblins."

"Maybe," Theo conceded with a shrug. "But I don't trust those three. I think they're going to be trouble."

Draco and Blaise shared an amused look, before turning their attention back to their breakfast. They were only partway through their meal, when the post owls arrived and they were yet again distracted by events from the Gryffindor table. Neville Longbottom had received a rememberall, which instantly filled with red smoke.

"Look at him, he doesn't even know what he's forgotten," Theo laughed. "Fat lot of good that thing will do him."

Laughing at the bemused expression on Neville's face, the Slytherins returned to their breakfast. Once they'd ate they headed for their morning classes, which they were slowly getting used to. However, after lunch they had a slight change to their schedule as they had their first flying lesson. Even though all the boys could fly, they were looking forward to showing off their skills in front of everyone else.

"Isn't it typical that we get lumbered with the Gryffindors," Theo grumbled as they arrived outside and found they were taking the class with the lions.

"We do seem to share more classes with them," Draco agreed. It seemed as though they shared about half their classes with the Gryffindors and only a handful with Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.

"Let's show them how good we are," Blaise said with a smirk. "We could outfly those Gryffindors with our eyes shut."

Vowing to show the other house up, the Slytherins took their places beside their assigned brooms. By sheer coincidence, Draco and his friends were standing almost directly opposite Harry, Hermione and their friends. Draco raised a challenging eyebrow at Harry as Madam Hooch, the flying instructor, began to issue orders. He and Harry had both learnt to fly together, and they were both pretty good, but they loved nothing better than trying to outdo one another. Hermione on the other hand wasn't the slightest bit interested in flying, and her distaste of the topic showed on her face as Madam Hooch continued to issue instructions.

Finally it was time to begin, and Draco couldn't help but smirk cockily as the broom instantly jumped into his hand. Harry's broom also rose instantly, as did the brooms belonging to Draco's Slytherin friends. What was rather surprising was that Ron had a bit of a battle to get his broom into his hand.

"I thought Weasley was supposed to come from a wizarding family. Shouldn't he know how to fly?" Theo sneered loudly, causing Ron to turn red as he continued to struggle with his broom.

Finally everyone had their brooms in their hands, and Madam Hooch issued instructions about mounting. Almost as soon as he straddled his broom, Neville lost control and with a squeal he went flying into the air.

"Mr Longbottom, come back down," Madam Hooch called as the class laughed at Neville.

"I can't," Neville cried. "Help me!"

Unfortunately, Madam Hooch didn't get a chance to help Neville before he was shakily flying up towards the roof of the castle. Since Neville wasn't really in control, his broomstick crashed straight into the roof, sending Neville toppling from it. Sliding down the roof, Neville crashed to the floor with a loud thud.

"Stand back," Madam Hooch called as the Gryffindors went rushing to their friend's aid. Reaching Neville, she helped him to his feet. Luckily his arm seemed to be the only thing damaged.

"I will be back shortly. No-one is to get on a broom until I come back," Madam Hooch told the class as she led Neville into the castle.

"Hey look what Longbottom dropped," Draco called, spotting the rememberall on the grass and picking it up.

"Give it back Malfoy," Ron snapped.

"Make me," Draco retorted, smirking at Ron before he threw the glass ball to Theo.

"Let's have some fun, shall we?" Theo laughed. Grabbing a broom, he quickly mounted it and rose into the air. "Now where should I leave it for Longbottom to find?"

"Bring it back, Nott," Harry called. "It's not yours."

"Finders keepers," Theo taunted as he swept even higher.

Draco watched in amusement as the Gryffindors fumed at Theo. What he didn't expect was for Ron to grab a broom. Nudging Blaise, Draco watched as Ron cautiously mounted it.

"Come off it Weasley," Blaise snorted. "You'll never get up there."

"Maybe he won't, but I will," Harry declared as he grabbed another broom and effortlessly mounted it.

"Harry, no," Hermione cried as Harry soared into the air after Theo.

Draco wasn't sure if Hermione was just keeping up her act as the golden girl, or if she was genuinely unimpressed with Harry's behaviour. He suspected it was the latter as Harry was showing just how skilled he was at flying, and for someone who was supposed to have grown up with muggles it was a skill he really shouldn't have. They would just have to hope that his talent was put down to pure instinct, and not years of practice.

While Hermione shook her head and muttered about Harry being an idiot, Draco turned his attention back to the pair in the sky. Even though he couldn't quite hear what was being said, it appeared that Theo was taunting Harry. When Theo suddenly launched the rememberall towards the castle, everyone let out a shocked gasp. The gaps only heightened when Harry zoomed past Theo and went racing after the glass ball at top speed. When he managed to grab the ball seconds before it smashed a window, the Gryffindors burst into cheers.

"Damn Potter," Theo grumbled, landing next to Draco as a few metres away Harry was landing in amongst the cheering Gryffindors. "I told you he was trouble."

A few minutes later, Theo's attitude changed when Professor McGonagall stalked out of the castle and took Harry back into school. For the rest of the lesson, Theo was ridiculously smug at the thought that he'd gotten Harry into trouble. He was still gloating over his victory on their way to dinner, which was when the group ran into Harry, Ron and Hermione, who were also heading towards the Great Hall.

"So how long are you going to be in detention for Potter?" Theo called when he spotted the Gryffindor trio a few metres ahead of them. "I bet McGonagall tore into you."

"I don't have detentions," Harry replied with a smirk. "But I should really thank you, Nott. You did me a big favour."

"You did all of Gryffindor a big favour," Ron added smugly.

"What are we missing?" Blaise asked with a frown.

"Meet our new seeker," Ron said, patting Harry on the back.

"You're going to be playing quidditch?" Theo asked, all the colour draining from his face.

"Yep," Harry replied proudly. "I'll be the youngest player in centuries. And it's all thanks to you. McGonagall was so impressed with the way I caught Neville's rememberall, that she took me straight to the Gryffindor captain. I've got my first training session after dinner."

Theo snarled at Harry, before pushing past the Gryffindors and stalking into The Great Hall. Trying to hide his shock and amusement, Draco headed after Theo with the other Slytherins in tow. While he was pleased Harry wasn't in any real trouble, and he found it funny that Theo's actions had misfired so badly, he couldn't help but be slightly envious that his friend was going to be playing quidditch. He would love to be on the Slytherin team, but he knew as a first year he stood no chance.

Throughout dinner, Theo was unbearable as he continued to grumble about Harry. Although it really didn't help Theo's mood that every time he looked over at the Gryffindors, Harry was the centre of attention. As soon as dinner was over, Theo stomped back down to the dungeons not bothering to wait and see if anyone was joining him.

"It looks like we're in for a fun night," Blaise remarked.

"Theo only has himself to blame," Draco said with a shrug. "He had to show off. I was just intending to toss the ball around for a bit and taunt the Gryffindors."

"If it hadn't backfired so spectacularly, it could have been fun watching him get Potter into trouble," Blaise said.

"I guess so," Draco replied as they left The Great Hall. "Anyway, I'm off to the library. I'll see you later."

"I don't know why you like the library so much," Blaise laughed as he wandered off with Crabbe and Goyle on his heels.

The actual reason Draco liked the library so much was because it was fairly quiet. Most students only visited the library if necessary, and not many of them stayed to do their homework unless they had to. It was also somewhere he was hoping he could use to spend some time with Hermione. She'd been at the library pretty regularly in the last few weeks, unfortunately there always seemed to be someone else around, meaning he couldn't risk approaching her.

Arriving in the library, Draco made his way to the back of the vast room. Settling down on the very back table, Draco placed his bag on the table and began to root around for his school books. For almost half an hour he did his homework without interruption, but then he spotted a shadow off to his right in the darkness of the bookshelves. Packing his books back into his bag, he got up and made his way into the bookshelves.

"Hello," He called. "Is anyone here?"

"Hello Draco," Hermione said, stepping from the shadows.

"What are you doing sneaking around in the dark?" Draco hissed.

"Trying to get your attention," Hermione replied. "I had to hover until you noticed me as I didn't want to risk approaching you."

"Is it safe to be talking like this?" Draco asked, looking around. Even though they were in a rarely used section of the library, he knew there was still a risk of someone coming across them.

"Come with me, I'll show you where we can meet," Hermione said.

Turning round, Hermione led Draco into a dusty section of the library dedicated to ancient history. Hermione led him to the very last shelf, before showing him a book in the middle of the third shelf.

"Watch," She said, pulling the book halfway out on the shelf.

At the halfway mark, the book stopped moving and the stone wall at the end of shelves slid open. Grabbing Draco's hand, Hermione pulled him into the darkened room that was hidden behind the library wall. Almost as soon as they were in the room, the wall slid shut behind them and the small room lit itself up with candles. The room wasn't too big, but it contained a couple of comfortable looking sofas and a table.

"How did you find this place?" Draco asked, looking around.

"I was trying to find a book," Hermione replied. "I got myself a bit confused, and ended up in the wrong section. I spotted the book I showed you, but when I tried to remove it from the shelf it only moved half way and revealed this room. The place was as dusty as anything when I first found it so I'm guessing it hasn't been used in years."

"Have you told Harry about this place?" Draco asked. "It could be a perfect place for us to meet."

"I've told him, but he's never seen it," Hermione replied. "I don't want Ron to know about the room, and he's always hanging around Harry. I'm sure we can find a way to sneak him away."

"That would be nice," Draco said. "I would love to catch up with the pair of you."

"Harry might not be here, but I am," Hermione said. "We can catch up if you like."

"Of course we can," Draco said, smiling at Hermione as they settled down to talk. Finally he was able to spend some time with his best friends, and he was looking forward to many more meetings over the course of the year.


	5. Chapter 4

Hermione and Draco were able to meet up every couple of days in the library, but unfortunately Harry didn't have much opportunity to join them. Hermione explained to Draco that Ron was proving hard to shake off and it was pretty impossible for both Harry and Hermione to sneak away without him wanting to know what was going on. Hermione had a bit more leeway as when she said she was going to the library, Ron lost interest in accompanying her. Unfortunately when Harry tried the same trick, Ron had joined them and they'd ended up spending the night doing homework.

Finally, a week after Hermione had shown Draco the secret room, Harry was able to join them. Luckily for them Ron had caused a bit of a mess in Herbology when he'd accidentally spilt a large bag of fertiliser over the floor in one of the greenhouses. Since it was the last class of the day, Professor Sprout had made Ron stay behind to clean up the mess. He then had to return to the greenhouse after dinner to complete a detention with the Head of Hufflepuff.

For almost ten minutes Harry and Draco caught up with what the other one had been up to, before Hermione interrupted and said they had more important things to discuss. Their plans with the Philosophers Stone were going nowhere, and they needed to get working on them.

"Is the stone definitely in Hogwarts?" Draco asked.

The plan had first been set in motion over the summer holidays when Voldemort had arranged a fake attempt to grab the stone from the Flamels. As expected, Dumbledore had intervened and offered to keep the stone somewhere safe. After Harry's trip to Diagon Alley they'd been confident the stone had been in Gringotts, hence Voldemort's recent fake attempt to make a play for it. He was then going to make another attempt to get at it, which was what Harry and Hermione were going to stop.

"According to Severus," Hermione replied. "Apparently he designed a task to help protect the stone."

"So now what?" Draco asked. "The stone's here, so what happens next?"

"I've already made a fuss about the robbery at Gringotts. I've got Ron all excited, convincing him something is going on," Harry explained.

"Why are you including him?" Draco asked with a frown. It was bad enough that he couldn't be involved with the plan to save the stone, but now they were bringing Weasley on board.

"He could prove a useful ally in the future," Hermione answered. "If he's with us when we save the stone, it'll help make sure no-one suspects we're lying. Dumbledore will trust a Weasley no matter what he says."

"I guess you've got a point," Draco conceded. "So how are you going to save the stone?"

"We have to find it first," Harry muttered. "We know it's here somewhere, but the school is a big place. We have to accidentally stumble across its hiding place with Ron, before we save it from Grandpa."

"That's simple, ask Severus where the stone is hidden," Draco said with a shrug. "If he's helping protect it, he should know where it is."

"That's where we're going to need your help," Hermione replied, smiling sweetly at her blond friend. "You can talk to Severus easier than either of us. We need you to talk to him and find out where the stone is. We can then meet up after dinner and discuss plans for leading Ron to it and making it look accidental."

"If you want me to talk to Severus, I'll have to go now," Draco said, checking the time. "Otherwise, I'll be late for dinner."

"See you back here after dinner," Harry said. "Good luck."

"I don't need luck," Draco scoffed as he got to his feet. "I'm only going to talk to my godfather."

"Yes, but you've got to convince him that we're not taking any risks to meet up," Hermione pointed out. "He might not tell you anything if he thinks we're going to get caught together."

"I can handle Severus," Draco replied confidently, before he slipped out of the room and back into the main part of the library.

Exiting the library, Draco headed down to the dungeons to talk to his godfather. It was time for him to do his bit to help Harry and Hermione, and he wasn't going to mess up. Unfortunately for Draco, things didn't run as planned with Severus. Draco easily reassured the Potions master that the trio were being careful and that they wouldn't get caught. However, Severus had no idea where the stone was hidden. All he'd done was design a potions riddle and handed it to Dumbledore. The Headmaster had been the one to implement the riddle and he was the only person who knew where the stone was located.

"Bugger," Harry swore when Draco passed on the information after dinner. "What do we do now?"

"We think about it logically, and try to find the stone ourselves," Hermione replied. "Just think, where could Dumbledore be hiding the stone?"

"Just about anywhere," Harry replied with a despondent sigh. "It's just a stone, Hermione. It could be anywhere."

"No, not anywhere," Draco said thoughtfully. "Severus said he was one of several Professors protecting the stone. Wherever it is, you have to pass several protective measures to reach it. That means, Dumbledore needs room to hide the stone."

"So where is there a lot of room, where no-one would happen upon it?" Harry asked.

The room was silent for several minutes as all three tried to think of where Dumbledore was hiding the stone.

"The third floor," Hermione suddenly cried as she jumped to her feet. "Why I didn't I see it earlier."

"See what?" Harry asked in bewilderment. "What's so special about the third floor?"

"Not all of the third floor, just the corridor that's out of bounds," Hermione said.

"There's a corridor that's out of bounds?" Draco frowned.

"Did neither of you listen to Dumbledore speech at the welcoming feast?" She asked and was unsurprised when both boys shook their heads. "He mentioned two places that were out of bounds. The Forbidden Forest and a corridor on the third floor. Why else would the corridor be out of bounds?"

"It's worth a try, isn't it," Draco said. "Shall we go and explore?"

"Should we wait until after curfew?" Harry asked. "If we sneak about now we could be caught."

"Could you sneak out without Weasley knowing?" Draco checked.

"If I wait until he's asleep, then yes," Harry replied. "He's a pretty heavy sleeper."

"How about midnight?" Hermione suggested. "If we meet at the main staircase on the third floor, we can then find the corridor that's out of bounds."

With plans in place the trio decided to head back to their dorms for a few hours before re-meeting at midnight.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

At ten to midnight, Harry crept out of bed and pulled his shoes on. Grabbing his wand, he then snuck out of the boy's dorms and quietly made his way downstairs. In the common room, he found Hermione already waiting for him. Like him, she was wearing her pyjamas, but they'd both decided that it was easier than trying to put some clothes on and waking up their dorm mates.

"What's that?" Harry whispered, gesturing to the fist sized ball in Hermione's hand.

"It's a paperweight," Hermione replied. "I'm going to use it to keep the door to the common room ajar. I'm not sure we'd be able to get back in without it."

"Wouldn't The Fat Lady just let us back in?" Harry asked.

"After midnight?" Hermione gave Hermione a look that had him regretting his question. "She might report us for being after curfew, or she might not even be in her portrait at this time of night. I'm not risking having to use her to get back in here."

"Let's use the paperweight then," Harry said.

Sneaking out of the common room, Hermione placed the paperweight at the bottom corner of the door and cast a sticking charm on it. Now the portrait was open just a small fraction, enough for them to use to open the door when they returned. When they glanced up at the portrait guarding Gryffindor Tower, they found it empty. Just as Hermione suspected, The Fat Lady had gone walkabouts.

"Let's get going before Draco thinks we've abandoned him," Harry whispered.

With one final glance back at Gryffindor Tower, Harry and Hermione took off down the stairs. Keeping to the shadows they moved as quickly as they could while still being quiet. When they reached the third floor, they spotted a figure on the stairs below them. Stepping right back into the shadows, they only emerged when they spotted the familiar white blond head of their best friend. Like Harry and Hermione, Draco was wearing his pyjamas, and his hair was free from the gel he used in the daytime. Hermione contemplated telling him he looked better without the gel in his hair, but it was something she'd already told him numerous time and right now they had more important things to worry about than Draco's hair.

"Are we ready?" Hermione whispered.

Both boys nodded their heads, and making sure they had their wands at the ready, they set off to locate the forbidden corridor. Because the staircases moved, it took them a while but finally they reached the corridor that Dumbledore had ordered no-one to enter. Creeping into the corridor, the trio soon discovered it only held one door at the very end.

"It's locked," Harry said, gently pulling on the door.

"Of course it's locked," Draco replied. "Dumbledore's hiding the stone in there, he's hardly likely to keep the door unlocked."

"Let's unlock it then," Harry said, raising his wand and pointing it at the door. "Alohamora," He whispered.

"Wait," Hermione called, stopping Harry as he reached for the door. "We don't know what's inside the room. We need to move quietly and carefully."

Harry nodded his head, before reaching forward and pulling the door open slightly. Lighting his wand, he pressed his face to the crack and peered inside the room. At his startled gasp, Hermione and Draco lit their wands and joined Harry at the door. Despite the door only been open a crack the gape was wide enough for the trio to all see inside. And what they saw startled them all. Lying on the floor, fast asleep, was a three headed dog.

"Cerberus," Hermione whispered.

"What?" Harry asked, turning to his friend.

"The three headed dog that guards the underworld," Hermione explained as Draco quietly shut the door and relocked it. "He stops the dead from leaving and the living from entering."

"Surely that's all myth," Harry scoffed. "It's not like the gods are real. I doubt that dog belongs to Hades."

"Just because they don't exist anymore, doesn't mean the gods we're real at one point," Hermione said. "But I would say that dog in there is proof, there's at least some truth to the legends."

"And what do legends say about the three headed dog?" Harry asked.

"That it's going to be hard to get past," Draco said. "They're designed for guarding. And my guess is, that dog is only the first thing guarding the stone."

"We can worry how to get past it later on," Hermione said. "We've accomplished what we set out to do. We know where the stone is hiding. Now all we have to do is find this place again with Ron in tow."

"How do we do that?" Harry asked.

"I can help there," Draco said with a grin. "All we need to do is let him see me exit this corridor acting suspicious. I bet you any money he'll want to check it out himself to see what I've been up to."

"And if that doesn't work?" Harry asked.

"We come up with plan B," Draco replied with a shrug.

"It's worth a try," Hermione agreed. "Let's try and do that sometime tomorrow. The sooner Ron knows about this place the better. I have no idea when Father will make his next move, but we need to be ready when he does."

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

The following day the trio put their plan into place and it worked perfectly. Draco made a big show of disappearing from dinner early, and Harry made sure Ron had noticed the blond's shifty behaviour. Draco had then watched for Harry, Hermione and Ron to be passing on the stairs, before sneaking out of the forbidden corridor.

"What is he up to?" Ron asked as he and Harry came to a halt as they watched Draco skulk out of a corridor and set off down the stairs with a smirk on his face.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, coming back down the stairs. She'd walked on when the boys had stopped, but had returned to see what was keeping them.

"Malfoy's just came out of that corridor over there," Ron said, nodding in the direction of the forbidden corridor. "And he was smirking."

"Oh no, what do we do?" Hermione gasped sarcastically.

"He's up to something," Ron insisted. "I know you two don't know his family, but trust me they're trouble."

"I trust you Ron," Harry said supportively. "If you say he's up to something, then he's up to something."

"But what are you going to do?" Hermione asked with a laugh. "Go over there and check out where he's come from in the hopes of finding a clue."

Harry and Ron looked at each other and their faces broke out into identical grins.

"That's exactly what we're going to do," Harry said.

"Are you coming?" Ron asked Hermione as he and Harry set off towards the corridor they'd seen Draco exiting.

With a dramatic sigh, Hermione followed after Harry and Ron. In the time they'd been talking everyone else had headed back to their common rooms, leaving them alone on the stairs.

"Hold on this is the third floor," Hermione cried as she caught up to the boys. "This corridor is out of bounds. Dumbledore said so at the welcoming feast."

"But Malfoy was up to something," Ron insisted. "And since this is the only door, he had to have been in here."

Ron pulled at the door, but it refused to budge. He even got Harry to help him, but still the door didn't open. Hermione rolled her eyes at the pair as she moved them aside, although she did find it rather funny that when he was with Ron, Harry played down his intelligence. If she didn't know any better she would swear he was as dumb as the redhead.

"Honestly, remember you're wizards," Hermione huffed as she pulled out her wand. "Alohamora."

"Blimey, I never thought of that," Ron said as he yanked the door open.

Without even looking Ron entered the room and let out a very loud, girly squeal. Exchanging an amused look, Harry and Hermione followed Ron into the room and froze behind the redhead as they stood looking at a snarling, three headed dog. When the dog let out a low growl, Harry grabbed Ron by the arm and yanked him out of the room. Hermione followed close behind them and pulled the door shut behind them.

"Bloody hell!" Ron gasped. "What's a thing like that doing in school?"

"Don't you have eyes," Hermione said, wishing Ron wasn't such hard work. "It was standing on a trapdoor. I think the question is, what's it guarding?"


	6. Chapter 5

Once they'd led Ron to the three headed dog on the third floor, Harry and Hermione had to find a way to reveal what exactly the dog was guarding. Luckily, Ron's curiosity was well and truly piqued and he couldn't stop talking about what the dog could be guarding. Unfortunately, Harry and Hermione weren't really sure how to lead Ron to discovering the dog was hiding the Philosopher's Stone.

They were still struggling with what to do when Halloween rolled round, but the pair decided to relax and enjoy the magnificent feast on offer. Dinner was always good at Hogwarts, but the Halloween feast appeared to be something special. The Great Hall was decorated festively and there was even more food on offer than normal.

"This is great," Ron enthused as they settled down at the Gryffindor table. "It should be Halloween every day."

"You'd soon get sick of celebrations like this every day," Hermione remarked.

"No, I don't think I would," Ron replied as he eyed up the vast array of food on offer.

Harry and Hermione exchanged eye rolls, before turning their own attention to the feast. For a while the pair were content to enjoy the celebrations, but the festive atmosphere was disturbed by a frantic looking Professor Quirrell running into The Great Hall.

"There's a troll in the dungeons," He called. "Just thought you ought to know," He added shakily before collapsing to the floor in a dead faint.

Quirrell's announcement was met by screams and yells all around The Great Hall. Everyone was in such a panic that it took Dumbledore nearly five minutes to quiet people down enough so he could talk.

"Prefects, get everyone back to the house dormitories," He ordered. "Professors, come with me."

Harry and Hermione got caught up in the crush of panicked Gryffindors, so they couldn't really talk. They both instinctively knew Voldemort was behind whatever was going on, and they knew they needed to get to the third floor. However, they were halfway up the main stairs before they were able to draw Ron's attention.

"Ron, we need to go to the third floor," Harry hissed, pulling Ron to one side of the stairs.

"Are you crazy?" Ron asked. "There's a troll knocking about somewhere. We need to get up to Gryffindor Tower where we'll be safe."

"And how did the troll get into the school?" Hermione questioned. "Trolls are stupid, they don't have the knowledge to break in."

"Meaning someone let it in," Harry added, filling in the blanks to a confused looking Ron.

"Why would someone let a troll into the school?" Ron asked disbelievingly.

"To cause panic," Hermione replied, gesturing to the chaos surrounding them.

"With everyone in a panic, the coast's clear for someone to get a good look at the third floor," Harry said. "That's where we need to be going. We need to know what's going on."

"But who would know something was being hidden in the school?" Ron asked as the trio started to climb the stairs again.

"I'm sure all the staff know," Hermione said. "And some of the students might be suspicious. I doubt this corridor on the third floor is out of bounds every year."

At the third floor, the trio slipped off the main staircase and quietly made their way towards the out of bounds corridor. With everyone heading back to their common rooms they had to be careful not to be seen, but finally they arrived in the deserted corridor.

"It doesn't look like anyone's here," Ron remarked.

"They could be inside with the dog," Harry replied.

"There's only one way to find out," Hermione said. "Let's take a peek."

The trio hadn't even managed to take more than a few steps towards the door, when it opened and Severus came hobbling out. The second he spotted the three first years, he straightened up and glared at the youngsters.

"What are you three playing at?" He snapped. "Don't you know there's a troll on the loose?"

"We got lost," Harry offered.

"Really?" Severus raised a sceptical eyebrow at the trio. "You got lost on the third floor when Gryffindor Tower is on the seventh. Even for first years, that's a bad mistake to make. It looks to me like the three of you were snooping somewhere you know is out of bounds."

"We're sorry," Hermione said, trying her best to sound sincere. "We had no idea it was out of bounds."

"So now you don't listen to Professor Dumbledore," Severus tutted. "This is just getting worse for the three of you. I think a spot of detention will do you all good. I'll see you down in my classroom tomorrow evening after dinner. Now get to Gryffindor Tower, immediately."

Turning around the trio, trooped out of the corridor and found the nearest staircase and began to climb. They were aware of the Potions Professor watching them leave, so they didn't speak until they spotted him turning around and slowly making his way back down to the dungeons.

"We have our answer now," Ron muttered, glaring over his shoulder at the retreating figure of the Potions Professor. "Snape's after whatever Dumbledore is hiding. And if he's after it, you can bet it's something dangerous. He's probably trying to get it for You-Know-Who."

"We need to work out what Dumbledore is hiding," Harry said, choosing not to respond to Ron's theories about his father. While it was handy that Ron suspected Severus, Harry wasn't sure how impartial he could remain if they started to discuss his role in things and Ron started to get personal with the insults.

"I doubt he's going to tell us," Hermione remarked as an idea began to form in her head.

"I'm sure he won't," Harry agreed with a sigh. "We need to think of some other way to get to the bottom of things."

Hermione and Ron nodded in agreement as they made their way back to Gryffindor Tower. Shortly after arriving in the common room, Ron headed off to the bathroom, giving Hermione a chance to speak to Harry. Pulling him into the corner of the room, she whispered her idea to him. She wasn't sure if her idea would reveal what Dumbledore was hiding in the school to Ron, but she was hoping it would give them a clue they could work on.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

The following lunchtime Harry put Hermione's plan in to action. After quickly dropping into The Great Hall to grab a sandwich, he led Hermione and Ron outside. Despite grumbling about only having a sandwich to eat, Ron followed Harry until he stopped not far from the hut where Hagrid lived on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"What are we doing here?" Ron asked. "I don't mind visiting Hagrid, but we could have done it one time when it's not our lunch break."

"Last night I was thinking about the three headed dog," Harry said, ignoring Ron's complaints about food. "And I thought, it can't be easy to find a three headed dog. Even in the magical world, they have to be pretty rare."

"Yeah, they are," Ron agreed. "I didn't even realise they still existed."

"Since they're so rare, I got to thinking about who could find a creature like that," Harry continued. "And I realised, we know a man who's passionate about animals."

"Hagrid," Ron exclaimed in understanding.

"Hagrid," Harry agreed with a nod. "The very first time I met him, he was telling me all about various creatures. If anyone knows about three headed dogs, it'll be him."

"What we're waiting for, let's go," Ron said, leading the charge to Hagrid's hut.

When they arrived at Hagrid's hut, they heard sounds coming from the back of the house. Heading around the hut, they found Hagrid sitting on a log next to Fang, his large but loveable dog.

"Harry, Hermione, Ron." Hagrid beamed widely as he caught sight of the trio. "Pull up a log."

"Thanks Hagrid," Harry said, smiling at the half giant as they all perched on logs that were positioned along the back wall of Hagrid's hut. "We want to talk to you about a three headed dog."

"Fluffy?" Hagrid frowned. "What do you want to talk about Fluffy for?"

"The dog's name is Fluffy?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"Why on earth would you name a beast like that, Fluffy?" Ron queried.

"How do you three know about Fluffy?" Hagrid asked suspiciously.

"We've seen him," Harry answered. "And we know he's hiding something."

"I won't tell you what he's protecting," Hagrid vowed. "That is between Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel."

"Aha, Nicholas Flamel. I know that name," Hermione mused.

"I shouldn't have said that," Hagrid muttered.

"It's okay Hagrid we won't tell anyone," Harry reassured the worried half-giant. "We're just worried that someone is after whatever the dog if protecting."

"Yeah, we think Snape is after whatever it is," Ron added.

"Don't be ridiculous," Hagrid scoffed. "Professor Snape is one of the Professors protecting the stone." Immediately Hagrid frowned and shook his large head. "I probably shouldn't have said that either."

"We won't tell a soul," Harry promised as he got to his feet. "Thanks Hagrid."

"Are you off?" Hagrid asked, bemused by the abrupt way Harry had jumped to his feet.

"Yeah, lessons start in five minutes," Hermione replied.

"See you later, Hagrid," Harry called as the trio headed off back to school.

"Well that was a waste of time," Ron grumbled. "We're no further forward."

"Of course we are," Hermione retorted. "Hagrid mentioned Nicholas Flamel and a stone. A bit of research should be able to fill in the blanks. We can get started tonight."

"I think you mean tomorrow," Harry said. "Tonight we have detention."

"I'd forgotten that," Hermione replied.

"I wish I had," Ron muttered. "I've been dreading it all day."

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Much to Ron's dismay it soon rolled round to detention time and the trio made their way down to the dungeons once they'd finished eating. When they entered the Potions classroom they found Draco standing at the teacher's desk, talking quietly to Severus.

"What do we have here?" He asked with a chuckle. "Three naughty Gryffindors."

"Thank you Draco, that will be all," Severus drawled. "You can head off to enjoy the rest of your evening."

"I will," Draco vowed. "And thanks for the advice."

"Any time," Severus replied. "My door is always open, except when its shut and I don't want to be disturbed."

"Have fun," Draco called to the Gryffindor trio as he exited the classroom in buoyant spirits.

"Git," Ron hissed as the blond boy shut the door behind him.

"Mr Weasley, you can scrub the cauldrons at the back of the classroom," Severus ordered. "Miss Granger, I want you to take the inventory from my desk and check the supplies in the cupboard. Mr Potter, I have some vials that need sorting at the front of the room. I expect the three of you to work quietly so I can get on with my marking. Any questions?"

"What do I clean the cauldrons with?" Ron asked.

"There's a bucket under the sink," Severus answered. "Fill it with water, and there should also be a bottle of cauldron cleanser down there as well. Using the cleanser and water you should be able to scrub the cauldrons spotless."

While Harry and Hermione settled down to start their tasks, Ron pulled open the cupboard under the sink. He easily found the bucket and some cloths, but he couldn't locate any cauldron cleaner. When he raised the problem with Snape, the Potions Professor merely ordered him to go and get a fresh bottle from Filch.

"Harry, keep an eye out for Ron returning," Hermione hissed once Ron had departed the classroom.

Harry quickly made his way to the classroom door, while Hermione perched herself on her brother's desk. Severus didn't seem at all bothered by his sister's actions and she suspected he'd deliberately made sure that Ron would have to leave the room so they would have an opportunity to talk.

"I thought you didn't know where the stone was," Hermione said, jumping straight into what she wanted to discuss with her brother.

"I didn't, not until yesterday evening," Severus answered. "I followed someone I don't trust, and they led me to the stone."

"Is that the person working for Grandpa?" Harry asked. Even though he was listening to the conversation, he didn't dare leave his post beside the door in case Ron returned quicker than they thought.

"I think so," Severus replied. "But just in case, I'll keep an eye on them."

"Are you going to tell us who it is?" Hermione demanded.

"No."

Hermione glared at her brother, but didn't bother arguing the point as she knew he wouldn't budge. Instead, she changed topic and asked another question that had been bugging her for some time.

"Wouldn't it be better if Father actually got hold of the stone? We're supposed to stop that from happening, but is the right thing to do?"

"It's what Father wants," Severus answered. "He thinks it's the best way for you and Harry to gain Dumbledore's unwavering trust. After this, he won't think twice about anything you ever do."

"I understand that, but the stone could help Father," Hermione argued. "It could help restore him to full power."

Even though it was years after Dumbledore had stripped him of his powers, Voldemort still wasn't at the peak of his powers. He took a potion every month that kept him physically fit and helped with his magic, but without the potion he would be nothing more than an old man with very weak magic.

"Father knows how to restore his powers permanently," Severus confessed. "He's known for some time."

"Why hasn't he done it?" Harry asked. "He could have taken control by now."

"Taking control isn't that easy, it needs time and plenty of careful planning," Severus said. "Father knows what he's doing, and when the time is right he's going to restore himself to full power and announce to the world that he's back."

"And when will that be?" Hermione asked.

"When's he satisfied you two are above suspicion and firmly wedged in Dumbledore's good graces," Severus replied. "You two are the reason he's taken things so slowly. He didn't want to risk a repeat of what happened with Dumbledore when you were both children. Now you're growing up, it's time for him to make his return and pick up where he left off."

Hermione and Harry were both touched by the revelation that Voldemort had settled for taking a potion every month so he could be there for them as they grew up. He could have easily returned to full power years ago and waged a second war on Dumbledore and the Order, but instead he'd put his family first.

"Ron's coming back," Harry suddenly called.

By the time Ron entered the classroom, Harry and Hermione were back doing their detentions and Severus was doing his marking. As Ron settled down to scrub cauldrons he had no idea he'd just missed a very informative conversation between his two friends and the Potions Professor. A conversation which would have made him rethink everything he thought he knew about Harry and Hermione.


	7. Chapter 6

After Halloween time just seemed to fly past. Harry's focus was soon taken by preparing for his first quidditch match, and even Hermione got caught up in the excitement come match day. She was a nervous wreck the day of the match, and judging from the way Severus never took his eyes off Harry, she thought her brother felt much the same. Luckily, Harry was the star of the game and he caught the snitch in spectacular fashion. Even Draco begrudgingly admitted to being impressed, but he followed it up by warning Harry that next year he'd had some serious competition as he was determined to win a place on the Slytherin team.

Between quidditch and just general school life, it was nearing the Christmas holidays before Hermione turned her attention back to the Philosopher's Stone. After discussing it with Harry, they decided that they'd mention the stone before the holidays, giving Ron time to ponder over it as he celebrated Christmas. On the day in question, Harry and Ron were in the library supposedly doing research into Nicholas Flamel when Hermione came bustling in with a heavy book that was almost as big as she was.

"I've got it," She announced as she placed the book down in the table. "I got this book out for some light reading weeks ago."

"This is light reading?" Ron interrupted, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head at the thought of the heavy tome in front of them could be considered light reading.

"Yes," Hermione replied, shooting Ron an unimpressed glare. "Anyway, I knew I'd heard the name and this was where I'd read it. Nicholas Flamel is an alchemist, and he's the maker of the Philosopher's Stone."

"The what?" Ron questioned with a frown. "I've never heard of it."

"The Philosopher's stone has many uses, but one of its main purposes is to create the elixir of life," Hermione explained. "The elixir keeps whoever drinks it fit and healthy, meaning they could live for years longer than normal."

"That sounds like something You-Know-Who would want," Ron said excitedly. "No-one knows what state he's actually in, he might need the elixir to return to health."

"It's a possibility," Harry agreed.

"Now all we have to do is make sure Snape doesn't get his hands on the stone," Ron added. "Any ideas how I can do that over the holidays? You two are going home, but I'll still be here. I don't want him to steal the stone on my watch."

"Before he can do anything, he has to work out how to get past that dog," Hermione pointed out. She still wasn't sure how they were going to save the stone when they couldn't even get past Fluffy.

"Hagrid will know," Harry said. "What's to stop him from asking Hagrid?"

"No-one's going to openly ask Hagrid about how to get past Fluffy," Hermione argued. "It'll be suspicious and all Hagrid would have to do is tell Dumbledore about the conversation and the game is up. If anyone's going to use Hagrid to work out how to get past Fluffy, they're going to be more subtle about it."

"This is Hagrid we're talking about, you don't need to do subtle with Hagrid," Ron snorted. "Just look at everything he told us and we weren't pumping him for information. He would tell anyone whatever they wanted to know and not even realise it."

"He kept putting his foot in it, because he was talking to us," Harry said. "He trusts us and wouldn't think about keeping things secrets. He'll be more on guard when talking to other adults."

"I'm with Harry on this one," Hermione said. "Hagrid didn't think about what he was saying because he was just talking to three kids. I'm sure he'll be more careful when he's talking to anyone else, even someone he works with and trusts."

"So what sort of subtle thing do you think Snape will do to get the information from Hagrid?" Ron asked.

"I don't know," Harry answered with a shrug. "But I think we should make sure we talk to Hagrid regularly. Maybe then we can either work out how to get past Fluffy, or work out if anyone else knows how to do it."

With an idea in place, Hermione suggested they found out some more about the Philosopher's Stone. Unsurprisingly, Harry and Ron weren't keen on the idea and together they persuaded her to take a few hours off and enjoy herself before the holidays started. Since she wasn't actually bothered about finding out more about the stone, Hermione let herself be persuaded to return to Gryffindor Tower, where she spent the remainder of the evening playing wizarding chess with Harry and Ron.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Two days after revealing that the Philosopher's Stone was hidden in Hogwarts, Harry and Hermione boarded the train to return home for the holidays. Ron wasn't joining them as his parents and sister were off to Romania to visit one of Ron's older brothers. Harry and Hermione both thought it was weird, and slightly unfair, that the family weren't taking all of their children, but it wasn't their place to say anything. Instead they said goodbye to Ron and settled back to enjoy a Weasley free journey home.

"I'd forgotten how nice it is when it's just the two of us," Harry murmured halfway through the journey. He and Hermione were quite content to sit and relax, and there wasn't the constant noise that was present when Ron was constantly talking and suggesting they do something to pass the time.

"It's felt like ages since it's been just the two of us," Hermione agreed.

"Or the three of us," Harry added. "It'll be nice to spend some time with Draco outside of that pokey little room in the library."

"Being friends in secret is certainly harder than I thought it would be," Hermione said. "Do you know how hard it is not to speak to him when I pass him in the hallways?"

"Yeah, I do," Harry replied with a nod. "I find it hard not to laugh along with him and his friends in lessons at times. It's hard supposedly being his enemy."

"Do you think it'll get easier?" Hermione asked.

"I would think so," Harry said. "In time it'll just because habit to pretend we're nothing more than enemies."

Not wanting to push their luck in talking about Draco in case anyone overheard them, they turned their attention to Christmas. Of course they still had to be careful what they said in case anyone realised they would be spending Christmas together, but there was some things they could talk about without having to worry about people poking their heads into their compartment.

Luckily, the pair managed to go the whole journey undisturbed and they seemed to reach London in half the time it took to get to Hogwarts in the first place. Grabbing their bags the pair hurried off the train, and were greeted by Hermione's mother. Even though there was no-one around who really knew them, they still acted as though Hermione and her mother were escorting Harry through the barrier so he could meet up with his aunt and uncle.

Once the trio were in the muggle world, it was easy for them to slip off together and for Beth to apparate them home. The second they arrived home, elves appeared to whisk their bags off to their bedrooms. Shrugging off their coats and boots, Hermione and Harry headed into the front room where they found Voldemort waiting for them. After giving them both a hug, Voldemort sat them down to find out how their first term at school had been.

Both Harry and Hermione spoke about Ron and their plans to save the Philosopher's Stone. Harry then spent quite a while telling Voldemort about his admittance to the quidditch team while Hermione filled her father in on her academics. By the end of the conversation Voldemort was satisfied that both Harry and Hermione were settling in well and were adjusting perfectly to attending Hogwarts. He was also relieved to see that neither of them seemed to have a problem with being in Gryffindor.

After talking to Voldemort and Beth about their school activities, it was time for dinner and Severus joined them. Over dinner arrangements for Christmas were discussed and as usual, Severus would be staying with them over the holidays. Even though Severus had his own cottage he rarely stayed there as he preferred to be in the same house as his son. And of course Harry much preferred it when his father was around, especially since they'd spent the last three months pretending to barely know each other.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Christmas was its usual family affair in the Riddle house. Harry and Hermione both received a dazzling array of presents and the family all spent the day together. They ate far more than they should, the adults drank a bit more than normal, and everyone had a great time. Of course over the festive season they saw the Malfoys, and even though they didn't see each other on Christmas Day, Harry and Hermione still got to spend plenty of time with Draco.

On Boxing Day Lucius and Narcissa spent the entire afternoon with Severus, Voldemort and Beth, leaving the three children to spend their afternoon together. For a while the trio compared what they received for Christmas as they stuffed a box of chocolates down their throats.

"Ugh, I need some exercise," Draco groaned, lying on the floor in Harry's bedroom, which was where the trio had settled.

"We could go for a fly," Harry suggested. "You're going to need the practice if you want to get on the Slytherin quidditch team next year."

"I can outfly you any day," Draco retorted as he got to his feet. "Grab your broom Harry, and let's go outside."

"Boys and their toys," Hermione muttered, not moving from where she was settled on Harry's bed.

"Are you coming to watch?" Draco asked.

"I don't think so," Hermione replied with a shake of her head. "I have no intention of watching you two showing off."

"See you later then," Harry called as the pair exited the room without looking back.

For the next hour, Hermione was content to read while Harry and Draco soared around on their brooms outside. Several times, she spotted the pair flying past the window but she didn't give them the satisfaction of acknowledging that she'd seen them. She knew that if she gave them any attention they would only spend longer showing off and trying to impress her. However, she knew if she ignored them that eventually they'd come back indoors to see what she was doing. Sure enough when the pair came trooping in front outside the first thing they wanted to know was what Hermione had been up to.

"You definitely read too much," Draco told his friend as he settled down on the bed next to her. "I like a good book as much as the next person, but I don't read as much as you. You take it to extremes."

"I have no choice when my best friends abandon me to go flying," Hermione retorted.

"You could have joined us," Harry said as he squeezed himself onto the bed on Hermione's other side.

"As if," Hermione replied as both Harry and Draco laughed at the thought of her flying with them. For some reason, Hermione just hadn't taken to flying when they were younger and now she downright hated it.

"Let's all do something together," Harry said. "I got a board game for Christmas, we could try that."

"What sort of game?" Draco asked.

"It's something to do with dragons," Harry answered. "You have to travel the realms and collect and train dragons, all while building a kingdom. The person whose kingdom doesn't fall wins the game."

"It sounds pretty cool, let's try that," Draco said.

Harry quickly found the game he'd received the previous day, and while he and Draco set it up, Hermione read the instructions out loud. Once everyone was sure they knew what they were doing, they settled down to play. For the rest of the afternoon, they were just children enjoying a festive afternoon together. They didn't think about the Philosopher's Stone, or anything else to do with Voldemort's attempt to return to power and take over the wizarding world. For once they were happy to just enjoy each other's company and act like the kids they still were.


	8. Chapter 7

Back in school for their second term, Hermione, Harry and Ron soon slipped into a routine regarding Hagrid and the Philosopher's Stone. Every evening before dinner at least one of the trio would go and visit Hagrid. Of course they never mentioned the Philosopher's Stone or Fluffy directly to Hagrid, but they chatted about all sorts in the hope he would slip up and give them some more information. As for the Philosopher's Stone, they would regularly sneak down to the out of bounds corridor and peek to check that everything was okay.

Hermione, and occasionally Harry when he could get away from Ron, would also still meet up regularly with Draco in the secret room they'd discovered in the library. When it was just Hermione and Draco, the pair would concentrate on doing their homework before spending some time relaxing together, however if Harry was present homework was more often than not put on the back burner. Since Harry couldn't meet with them as often, they used their time as a trio to discuss how things were going with the stone and to just spend time together as friends.

"This is taking a lot longer than I thought," Draco admitted one evening. They'd now been back at school a couple of months, and so far nothing more had happened with the stone.

"I know," Hermione agreed. "You have to wonder who on earth Father has working for him. Why are they being so slow?"

"I tried asking Dad about who we were supposed to be saving the stone from, but he wouldn't tell me anything," Harry said.

"Maybe we could work it out," Hermione suggested brightly.

"Yeah, we don't have a lot of options when you think about it," Harry added.

"What makes you think we don't have many options?" Draco asked with a frown. "I would say we have a fair few options."

"The staff isn't that big, and there's some people we can rule out practically right away," Harry answered. "We know it isn't Dad who's being tasked to steal the stone, and we can rule out Dumbledore and McGonagall. I also don't think Hagrid is capable of such deception."

"There's no guarantee it's a member of staff after the stone," Hermione pointed out. "All the seventh years are seventeen and eighteen, therefore they're more than capable of stealing the stone."

"I know a few sixth years who'd be smart enough to make a play for the stone as well," Draco added.

"Then there's the fact we have no idea how Father persuaded them to grab the stone," Hermione continued. "If he's used the Imperius curse, we could be talking about almost anyone, even someone Dumbledore trusts. But he could have blackmailed or threatened someone."

"Then there's the possibility he's got a willing volunteer," Draco said, adding another option to the mix. "I bet there's still a few people who would do anything for The Dark Lord if he approached them and let them know he was still alive."

"Bloody hell, it could be anyone then," Harry swore. "We're no further forward."

"Not really," Hermione agreed. "But whoever it is, I don't think they're very good. Any idiot could have wrangled information out of Hagrid and gotten past that dog by now."

"Do you know how to get past the dog?" Draco questioned.

"No," Hermione admitted as her cheeks turned slightly pink with embarrassment. "Every time I mention Fluffy in a roundabout way, Hagrid changes the subject. We need to catch him off guard."

"Maybe whoever is trying to get the stone is looking into what else protects it," Draco suggested. "I mean what happens once you get past the dog?"

"I have no idea," Harry said with a frown. "We know how Dad's protecting the stone, but he won't be the only one. Other Professors will have other protections."

"We're never going to be able to find out about any of those," Hermione pointed out. "Hagrid may be loose lipped and Severus told us because of our family connections, but the other Professors aren't going to be so obliging. We're going to have to hope for the best once we get down there."

"We better not get killed," Harry muttered. "I don't want to be a ghost."

"Look on the bright side, you could haunt the castle and get to check out the Slytherin dungeons," Draco said with a laugh.

"No-one is getting killed," Hermione insisted with an annoyed tut. "We're smart, we'll figure our way to the stone."

"Don't forget you're taking Weasley," Draco sneered. "He's definitely not smart."

"Not unless you count wizards chess," Harry replied. "He's pretty good at that."

"How can he be good at wizards chess and be so useless at everything else?" Draco asked with a frown. It took intelligence to play wizards chess, so it made no sense that Weasley would be good at it when he was so rubbish at some pretty basic lessons.

"I have no idea," Harry answered with a shrug. He'd often wondered the same thing when he'd watched Ron play a magnificent game of chess. If he applied his brains to other things he would be quite clever, but it seemed chess was the one area he truly used his full potential.

"Enough about Ron," Hermione interrupted. "I'm sure we can spend our time talking about something more interesting than Ron Weasley."

"What's eating her?" Draco whispered to Harry. He knew Hermione wasn't keen on the redhead, but she didn't normally banish talk of him.

"Ron spilt ink all over her Transfiguration essay," Harry whispered back to his friend. "The ink was part of the twins joke package, so it was no ordinary ink. Not only did Hermione's essay get covered in ink splodges, but it changed every few words to swear words. She had to re-write the entire thing and she wasn't happy."

"I've got to admit, those twins sound pretty cool," Draco said. The twins may have been Weasleys, but from what he'd seen they were nothing like the rest of their family.

"They are," Harry replied. "I really like Fred and George."

"I guess they have talent," Hermione reluctantly agreed. "But they don't take anything seriously. Well apart from their jokes and pranks."

"That's why they're such good fun," Harry said with a grin.

Turning to Draco, he told the blond a few stories about the Weasley twins while Hermione shook her head and turned her attention to a book. She would join in the conversation once the topic of Weasleys had been well and truly dropped.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

"I swear, they're up to something," Theo muttered from the shadows of the castle.

It was a couple of weeks before the Easter holidays, and Theo had dragged Draco and Blaise outside to follow the Gryffindor trio of Hermione, Harry and Ron. For the last few weeks Theo had been adamant that the trio were up to something, but Draco kept dismissing his friends concern. Finally, he'd grown sick of Theo's moaning and he'd agreed to accompany Theo as he spied on the trio. He doubted they would find anything suspicious going on as he knew from Harry and Hermione that things were at a bit of a standstill regarding the stone.

"They're off to visit Hagrid," Blaise pointed out in a bored voice. "Again."

"Isn't it weird that they visit the groundskeeper so often?" Theo asked.

"So they're losers, what's the big deal?" Draco shrugged, turning his back towards the hut where Hagrid lived.

"But why are they visiting that oaf so often?" Theo questioned.

"Draco's just told you, they're losers," Blaise replied. "Now can we please go and do something interesting?"

"Yeah, come on," Draco said. "Let's head back to the common room for a bit before dinner."

"You promised we could find out what the Gryffindors are doing," Theo argued. "Let's just sneak down there and see if we can hear something."

"You're bloody obsessed," Draco muttered as he and Blaise followed Theo down to Hagrid's hut.

Luckily the Gryffindor trio had ventured around the back of the hut, so they didn't see the Slytherins approaching. Slipping into the shadows of the Forbidden Forest, the Slytherins crept as near to the back of the house as they could get without having to venture too far into the spooky trees. Luckily, they were able to stand almost directly opposite where the Gryffindor trio were sitting talking to Hagrid, and remain unnoticed in the darkness of the forest.

"Ugh, they've got that horrible dog with them," Blaise grumbled. "It's always drooling. Last week I slipped on a patch of its droll and nearly fell on the floor."

"How do you know it was the dog's drool?" Theo hissed.

"I saw Hagrid with the dog just before I slipped," Blaise replied. "Besides, I know dog drool when I see it. My Mother's last husband had a dog that drooled all the time. She was always complaining about the furniture it destroyed."

"I wish I had a dog," Theo said wistfully.

"Focus Theo," Draco snapped. "Are we hear to spy on the Gryffindors, or get all misty eyed over smelly dogs that drool?"

Conceding that Draco was right, Theo turned his focus to the nearby group. Unfortunately, Hagrid was merely regaling the Gryffindors of tales of his youth and his own time at Hogwarts.

"Boring," Draco said with a fake yawn. "Can we go yet?"

Theo was just about to say yes, when Hagrid stopped talking about his school days and asked if he could tell the trio a secret. Intrigued the three Slytherins, leant forward as the Gryffindors promised Hagrid he could tell them anything.

"Maybe I should show you," Hagrid said. "Come back tonight after curfew. It should be time then."

"Time for what?" Harry asked.

"You'll see," Hagrid replied with a wide smile. "But you'll like it, I promise."

"We'll try and come back tonight, Hagrid," Harry promised.

"Now we're getting somewhere," Theo whispered with a grin. "It looks like we're coming back tonight."

"Or we could wait until we're sure they're sneaking around after curfew and rat them out," Blaise argued. "They'd get into trouble for being out after curfew."

"But then we'd miss out on what was going on," Theo argued. "Draco?"

Blaise and Theo both turned expectantly to the blond boy. Even though Theo liked to try and take charge, everyone knew Draco was the true power. If he decided they wouldn't be following the Gryffindors, then they wouldn't be following them.

"I admit, I'm intrigued," Draco confessed. "Let's follow and see what's going on. Then we can rat them out if we want."

With a smirking Theo leading the way, the Slytherins slipped away from Hagrid's Hut and headed back to school. By the time the Gryffindors left Hagrid, the Slytherins were long gone and they had no idea they'd been spied upon.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

"This better be worth it," Hermione muttered to Harry as they prepared to slip out of Gryffindor Tower.

Even though they were becoming regulars at slipping out of their common room after curfew, it was the first time they would be leaving the actual castle. Therefore, they'd made sure they were dressed and wearing their shoes. However the risk of sneaking out of the castle was much higher than sneaking around inside.

"Hagrid wouldn't have asked us to come if it wasn't important," Harry replied just as Ron joined them.

"We'll see," Hermione retorted as she led the way to the exit.

Slipping out of Gryffindor Tower was easy, and everything ran as it always did. Hermione left the door slightly propped open and as usual The Fat Lady was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully it would be the same as every other night and they could sneak back in before she returned and noticed something was amiss.

Leaving the castle proved slightly trickier, but they found a side door unlocked and slipped out into the dark. Praying they wouldn't be seen from the castle, the trio sprinted to Hagrid's hut. Luckily since he was expecting them, he opened the door quickly and ushered them inside.

"You're just in time," Hagrid replied as he hurried over to the fireplace and pulling on some oven-mitts he reached into the cauldron that was hanging over the flames and pulled out an egg. Returning to the table, Hagrid quickly placed the hot egg onto the table.

"It's an egg," Hermione said, unimpressed that they'd came all this way to see an egg.

"Just wait," Hagrid said, his voice brimming over in glee.

Seconds later there was a cracking sound from the egg and a small hole appeared. With shocked gasps, Harry, Ron and Hermione leant closer as the hole widened. When a claw suddenly pushed its way out of the egg, they backed off a bit, unsure of what was coming next. Within two minutes the entire shell had been torn apart and a tiny creature stood on the table.

"Is that a dragon?" Ron whispered in awe. "My brother Charlie works with them in Romania."

"Meet Norbert," Hagrid said. Bending down he tickled the dragon, only to be greeted with a small fireball that almost set his beard alight. "Isn't he lovely," He said, putting out the flames in his beard with his oven-mitts.

"What sort of dragon is it?" Hermione asked, making sure she didn't get too close to the tiny creature.

"I don't know," Hagrid replied. "I'll find out."

"Welsh Greens are the only dragons in this country," Ron said. "But it doesn't look like a Welsh Green to me. I think it might be a Norwegian Ridgeback."

"I'm sure we can do some research and find out for sure," Harry said.

"Should you really have a dragon in school?" Hermione questioned. "Isn't it dangerous?"

"Norbert isn't dangerous," Hagrid insisted as he picked the small creature up in his hands.

As Hagrid held the dragon in his hands, they heard a noise from outside. Turning around they spotted a figure turning from the window. Harry and Ron sprinted over to the window and looking out they saw three figures running back to school. Normally it would be too dark to make out the figures, but one of them had very distinctive platinum blond hair that glistened in the moonlight.

"Who was it?" Hagrid asked when Harry and Ron turned back with concern etched all over their faces.

"Malfoy," Ron answered.

"You best be getting back to school before anyone notices you're missing," Hagrid said. "Come and see Norbert tomorrow."

Saying goodbye to Hagrid, the trio sprinted back to school, hoping they would manage to get back to Gryffindor Tower before Draco and his friends told on them. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on their side any longer and they'd no sooner entered the castle when they came face to face with Professor McGonagall. Standing behind McGonagall were the Slytherin trio, all of whom were smirking widely at the Gryffindors.

"And what is the meaning of this?" McGonagall questioned. "You know you're not allowed outside your dorms after curfew, let alone outside the castle."

"Sorry Professor," Harry said, knowing they had no defence without dropping Hagrid in it.

"I am not at all happy with this," McGonagall snapped. "Disobeying curfew will not be tolerated. All six of you have detention next week."

"Six?" Theo squeaked in outrage. "But we told you what they were doing."

"After being caught yourself," McGonagall retorted. "All six of you broke the rules, and all six of you will be punished. Now off to bed before I dock points off you for wandering around in the middle of the night."

With McGonagall watching over them, the two groups of students made their way back to their respective common rooms. Now they all had a detention to look forward to, and everyone knew McGonagall's detentions were amongst the worst. The Transfiguration Professor was extremely strict, and detentions with her were never fun.


	9. Chapter 8

As it turned out detention was even more of a hardship when the two sets of students turned up in McGonagall's classroom only to find she was busy and had assigned them to have detention with someone else. When Filch then appeared, the six first years worried they would have to serve detention with the grumpy caretaker who everyone knew despised the students of Hogwarts. Instead, Filch led the group outside, all the time grumbling about the times when detention would mean hanging from the walls in the dungeons.

"Is he being serious?" Ron asked with a nervous gulp. "Did students really get hung down in the dungeons?"

"Oh yeah," Blaise answered from behind the Gryffindor trio. "We've seen the chains. They still hang on the walls."

"That's horrendous," Ron muttered, unable to hide the shiver that wracked his body.

"And you should hear the ghostly screams in the night," Draco added with a smirk. "If you're awake in the middle of the night, you always hear odd noises down in the dungeons."

"Yep, it's a hell of a place down there," Theo said with a laugh as Ron shuddered yet again.

"Just ignore them," Hermione whispered to Ron. "They're just being idiots."

Ron nodded, but he was still jumpy as Filch led the way down to Hagrid's hut. Hagrid was standing waiting outside of his house, but he looked downright miserable. Of course, that was probably to do with that fact that not only had the Slytherins ratted the Gryffindors out for being out after curfew, but they'd also told about the baby dragon Hagrid had just hatched.

"Stop snivelling, man," Filch snapped at Hagrid as they came to a halt in front of the groundskeeper. "You're going into the forest, you need your wits about you."

"The forest?" Draco questioned, his cockiness fading at the prospect of entering the Forbidden Forest. True, the Slytherins had skirted the edges the other day, but they'd been very careful not to stray too far from the edge.

"The forest," Filch replied with a low chuckle, before he turned away and stalked back up to the castle.

"He can't be serious," Draco snapped. "You can't take us into the forest."

"That's exactly where we're going," Hagrid replied quietly. "We need to pick some herbs for Professor Sprout and they only grow in the moonlight. I've got some lamps here, so come and get one each."

"Are you okay Hagrid?" Harry asked as the Slytherins grabbed their lamps, all the time grumbling about entering the forest.

"Dumbledore's sending Norbert away," Hagrid wailed. "Next week in the holidays, he's shipping Norbert off to a reservation in Romania."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Hermione asked. "At least Norbert will have other dragons around."

"But he was my baby," Hagrid protested with a half sob. "I've always wanted a pet dragon."

"Well, I've always wanted to be taller," Draco drawled from nearby. "Life's full of disappointments, so move on."

Ron turned to glare at Draco, but Harry held him back when it looked as though he was going to make a move towards the blond boy. Grabbing their own lanterns, the Gryffindors turned to Hagrid and waited for instructions. Hagrid briefly described the sort of plants they wanted to pick, and handed a sheet of parchment with pictures of the plants around to everyone.

"Harry, Hermione, you go with Malfoy," Hagrid said, handing Harry a basket. "Ron, you go with Nott and Zabini. I'll be close by so just holler if you need me."

"Do I have to go with two Slytherins?" Ron hissed to Hagrid.

"I don't want the three of them together and causing trouble," Hagrid replied, trying his best to keep his voice down. "I've put Malfoy with Harry and Hermione as he's clearly the ringleader and capable of causing the most trouble. Don't worry Ron, you'll be fine."

"Don't worry Weasley, we'll look after you if you're scared," Theo called.

"I am not scared," Ron insisted as he barged past the Slytherins and stormed into the forest.

Sharing an amused look, Blaise and Theo followed after Ron. Harry meanwhile led the way into the forest slightly further down from where Ron had entered. Within minutes, the others were out of sight and they couldn't even hear Theo and Blaise taunting Ron anymore.

"Damn forest," Hermione muttered with a shiver as she made sure to stay close to both Draco and Harry.

"Are you scared?" Draco asked, and when he turned to Hermione she could see he was slightly nervous himself.

"A bit," She confessed.

Reaching out for her, Draco wrapped her hand securely in his and they followed after Harry hand in hand. For a while they walked in silence as they search for any of the plants they were supposed to be picking.

"I can't see a bloody thing," Harry grumbled as they paused to see if they could see anything.

"This is ridiculous," Draco said. "They shouldn't have first years roaming the forest. It could be dangerous."

"We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you and your friends," Harry pointed out. In the past week he hadn't had time to speak to Draco and confront him on getting them into trouble.

"That wasn't my fault," Draco protested. "We were sneaking back down to the dungeons when Theo tripped over his shoelace. McGonagall popped out from a nearby classroom and caught us. Of course, Blaise and Theo spilled the entire story about why we were up and creeping around. I could hardly protest, could I?"

"I guess not," Harry replied begrudgingly. He understood that Draco's loyalties had to be with the Slytherins, but that didn't mean he liked the fact that at times it meant his best friend was getting him into trouble.

"I'm sure you two will have plenty of opportunity to get me into trouble over the years," Draco said.

"Yeah, I guess we will," Harry replied, brightening up at the thought of evening the score.

"There is something I am curious about though," Draco said. "How did Hagrid get a dragon egg?"

"He didn't say," Hermione answered with a shrug.

"I hardly think he'll have just found it," Draco said. "Dragons protect their eggs fiercely. You can't just walk up and steal an egg. Besides, there's only supposed to be a few Welsh Greens roaming free in Britain. I'm no expert, but that baby didn't look like a Welsh Green to me."

"It's a Norwegian Ridgeback," Harry replied. They'd done some research in the past week and found that Ron's guess was right.

"See, there's no Norwegian Ridgeback's in this country. The egg must have come from abroad," Draco said. "Someone must have smuggled that egg into the country."

"So how did Hagrid get a smuggled egg?" Harry mused. "I know he really wanted a dragon, but he won't have arranged for someone to illegally smuggle him an egg into the country."

"My guess is someone gave him the egg," Draco said. "Maybe in return for some information."

"Fluffy," Hermione gasped. "Someone knows how to get past the three headed dog."

"It's a possibility," Draco said as silence fell while the trio digested what that could mean. Harry and Hermione would have to be on alert as the stone could be in danger at any time.

Reluctantly turning their attention back to the job in hand, the trio carried on looking for the plants on their list. Finally they found a patch of one of the plants and picked a pile and loaded them into the basket. Deciding that they had enough plants in their basket, the group made their way back out of the forest. Just before they stepped out of the trees, Hermione and Draco made sure to drop their hands and they walked out as though Draco was barely tolerating working with the two Gryffindors.

They were only waiting outside of Hagrid's hut for five minutes before a laughing Theo and Blaise came running out of the forest. Hagrid followed behind them, alongside a shaky looking Ron. Obviously Blaise and Theo had spent their time winding Ron up and tormenting him about being in the forest.

"You can all go back to school," Hagrid said. "And I will be telling Professor McGonagall about this," He warned a still laughing Theo and Blaise.

"What happened?" Harry asked Ron as the Slytherins ran off ahead of them.

"Bloody gits," Ron swore, glaring at the retreating forms of Blaise and Theo. "They were howling and pretending to be werewolves. I didn't realise it was them and I started screaming for Hagrid. Of course, they found it hilarious and they've been howling at me ever since."

"Just ignore them Ron," Hermione said soothingly. She might have normally found it funny how easy the Slytherins had been able to wind Ron up, but she was rather spooked herself after spending an hour in the forbidden forest.

With Harry reiterating Hermione's opinion that Ron should ignore the Slytherins, the trio made their way back up to the castle. At least now, their detention was over and they didn't have to worry about going back in the Forbidden Forest. Although Harry and Hermione had to find a way to see if Hagrid had exchanged information about Fluffy for a dragon's egg.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

The next day, Harry pretended as though the thought about the dragon's egg had just occurred to him. After voicing his concerns to Ron, he quickly had the redhead on board with his way of thinking. So along with Hermione, the pair headed off down to Hagrid's hut at lunchtime.

"What are you three doing here?" Hagrid asked when he opened the door to find the three Gryffindors on his doorstep.

"We want to ask about Norbert," Harry said as Hagrid let them inside.

The dragon in question was sitting in a cage on the table, and it looked as though Hagrid was feeding him mice for his dinner. Hermione grimaced at the sight and turned her head away. Harry and Ron were also uncomfortable at arriving just as Norbert was being fed, but luckily Hagrid didn't resume feeding time. Instead he sat down next to Norbert with a sigh.

"Look at him," He said sadly. "Cooped up in his cage. But Dumbledore says I have to keep him locked up until he's taken away."

"When's he going?" Ron asked.

"Your brother's coming for him next week," Hagrid replied.

"Charlie's coming?" Ron asked brightly, wondering if he'd get a chance to say hello to his brother.

Hagrid nodded, before remembering that the trio had come to visit him for a reason. "Why are you here again?"

"Where did you get the dragon's egg from, Hagrid?" Harry asked.

"I didn't do anything illegal, if that's what you're thinking," Hagrid replied.

"We know you wouldn't do anything illegal," Hermione soothed. "We were just wondering how you acquired a dragon's egg."

"I got talking to a bloke in the pub," Hagrid replied. "You get a funny lot in The Hog's Head. Anyway, I was telling him about the animals I look after and he said he had a dragon's egg. Of course, I leapt at the chance of looking after a dragon."

"When you were telling him about the animals you looked after, did you mention Fluffy?" Harry asked.

"Course I did," Hagrid replied. "You have to mention Fluffy."

"Did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Ron asked.

"Course," Hagrid replied with a nod. "Who wouldn't be interested in a three headed dog? Of course, he was a bit sceptical that I could control him. But I said, the trick the any animal is knowing how to handle them. Take Fluffy for example, play him some music and he falls straight to sleep."

"And you told the bloke in the pub this?" Harry checked.

"Yeah," Hagrid answered with a concerned frown. "I really shouldn't have, should I?"

"I'm sure it doesn't matter," Harry replied, not sure he sounded too convincing. "But just for the sake of it, what did this bloke look like?"

"Don't know." Hagrid shrugged his large shoulders. "He kept his hood up the entire time. You don't like to ask in The Hog's Head, as I said, you get a funny lot in there. You three won't say anything about this, will you?"

"Our lips are sealed," Harry vowed. "But we best be getting back before we miss lunch entirely. We'll see you later, Hagrid."

Saying goodbye the trio hurried out of Hagrid's hut and made their way back towards the castle. As they walked, they talked about what they'd discovered. Of course Ron was convinced the man in the pub was Severus, and for the sake of keeping up appearances Harry and Hermione didn't argue. They also talked about what would happen now someone knew the trick to getting past Fluffy. However, they all agreed that they would just have to continue their vigil and keep a constant check on Fluffy. Sooner or later, something would happen and when it did, they would be ready to save the day.


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N – We're into the last week of publishing this story. But before I make any final decisions on publishing year 2, I need to ask a question. Are people still interested in this story? In the last week I've noticed the reviews have dropped off massively, and it's got me wondering if people are still interested in this series. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate every review I get and I'm grateful I get so many fabulous ones (especially from my regular readers), but the vast difference in the amount of reviews I've received for the last few chapters compared to earlier chapters has me worried. I wasn't sure if the problem was the lack of romance, but that's inevitable in the early years. The romance will develop in later years, but not when they're still so young. I also wasn't sure if it was too similar to the actual books, but I did explain that the first few years are very similar and the big differences would come in later years. I don't want to stop publishing the series but at the same time I don't want to waste my time publishing a story no-one is interested in (although I will carry on writing it as I write because I love it, and this series is one I particularly love).**

* * *

Despite being ready to act when someone made an attempt to steal the Philosopher's Stone, the Gryffindor trio had a while to wait before something happened. They checked on the stone regularly, sometimes as often as two or three times a day, but nothing happened. Instead they were able to enjoy their Easter Holidays with very little drama.

Harry and Hermione had wondered if whoever they were waiting for would strike over Easter when it was quiet, but they soon discovered that very few people left Hogwarts for the Easter holidays. Unlike Christmas where only a few people remained behind, at Easter practically the whole school remained on the premises and they just had a couple of weeks free of lessons.

The only thing of note that happened over the holidays was Hagrid having to give up Norbert. The trio were present as Hagrid prepared to say goodbye to the baby dragon, and they were also allowed to stay when Ron's brother, Charlie, showed up with a couple of his colleagues. Ron was thrilled to see Charlie and when he introduced his brother to Harry and Hermione the pair could easily see that Ron worshipped his big brother.

It wasn't until a few weeks into the third and final term of the year that something finally happened. At breakfast there was no sign of Dumbledore, which was very unusual as the headmaster was present for every meal of the day. Harry immediately began puzzling over the Headmaster's absence, and by the end of the day his curiosity had grown so much he hung back as the other students trooped out of Transfiguration.

"Can I help you Mr Potter?" McGonagall asked, looking up and getting a surprise when she spotted the young wizard hanging around in the classroom.

"Yeah, I was hoping to speak to Dumbledore this morning but he wasn't at breakfast," Harry said. "He wasn't at lunch either."

"Is there anything I can help with?" McGonagall asked. "Professor Dumbledore was called down to London on urgent Ministry business, and he won't be back until late this evening."

"It's okay, it'll wait," Harry replied.

Grabbing his bag, he quickly scarpered from the classroom before McGonagall questioned him any further. Outside the classroom he found a curious looking Hermione and Ron waiting for him. His decision to talk to McGonagall had been spur of the moment, so he hadn't had a chance to tell Hermione and Ron of his plans.

"What's going on, Harry?" Ron asked. "We turned round, and you weren't behind us."

"I was asking McGonagall about Dumbledore," Harry replied.

"And?" Hermione pressed.

"He's been called down to London on urgent business," Harry answered. "And you know what that means, don't you?"

"No," Ron replied with a puzzled shake of his head.

"This is the perfect time to get to the stone," Hermione said. "If I was trying to steal the stone, I'd take advantage of Dumbledore being gone."

"So would I," Harry agreed. "I think we need to be ready tonight."

"You think Snape's going to steal the stone tonight?" Ron checked.

"It's a real possibility," Harry replied.

"Then let's make sure we're ready tonight," Ron declared, before turning and leading the way up to Gryffindor Tower.

"Do you think its tonight?" Hermione whispered to Harry.

"I do," Harry replied in a quiet voice. "Something tells me that tonight's the night. Is everything in place in case things go wrong?"

"Yeah, I've got a back-up plan and Draco knows what to do," Hermione replied.

Satisfied they'd done all they could to prepare, Hermione and Harry followed Ron up to Gryffindor Tower. If they were right, everything was going to happen that evening. All they had to do was hope that things didn't get out of control and that they came out of the situation looking like the good guys.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

"Are you ready?" Harry hissed to Ron.

The pair were in the boys dorms and they were sneaking out to check on Fluffy. They'd managed to check before dinner and everything was normal, but they'd had to wait until after curfew before checking for a second time.

"Yeah, let's go," Ron replied.

Moving as quietly as they could the boys exited the dorm and snuck down the stairs. They arrived in the common room at the same time as Hermione and without exchanging a word, the trio crept into the common room. Unfortunately they hadn't reached the portrait, before they heard footsteps rushing down the stairs behind them. Before they had a chance to escape, Neville burst into the common room still dressed for bed.

"I can't let you do this," Neville hissed as he manoeuvred himself between the stunned trio and the exit.

"Do what?" Harry asked.

"Leave the common room," Neville replied. "I know you've been sneaking out and are planning on doing it again. I heard you whispering earlier."

"We can explain," Harry said. "Just not now. Please, Neville, we have to leave."

"I can't let you go," Neville said stubbornly. "You'll get into trouble and lose us more house points."

"I'm sorry Neville," Hermione whispered as she raised her wand. "Petrificus Totalus."

A brief look of shock passed over Neville's face before he froze and toppled to the ground. At the sight of Neville lying on the ground, Harry and Ron turned and stared at Hermione in surprise. It really hadn't occurred to either of them to do anything proactive to stop Neville.

"You're scary sometimes," Ron whispered in awe. "Brilliant, but scary."

"I just did what needed to be done," Hermione shot back. "Now we better go before anyone else wakes up and tries to stop us."

Exiting the common room, Hermione used the same trick she normally used to prop the door open. Not bothering to check if The Fat Lady was in her portrait or not the trio sped off to the third floor. When they reached the out of bounds corridor, they immediately knew something was different. The door that led to where Fluffy was located was open a crack.

"This is it," Harry whispered as he pulled out his wand. Behind him, Hermione and Ron also pulled out their wands, ready to face whatever lay ahead.

With a firm nod, Harry led the way into the room where they would find Fluffy. Since finding out how to deal with Fluffy, Hermione had been practising a spell to make music play from her wand, but it wasn't necessary as when they entered the room they found an enchanted harp playing in one corner of the room and Fluffy lying sound asleep on the floor. Beside a sleeping Fluffy was the open trapdoor, leading down to where the Philosopher's Stone was hidden.

"What's down there?" Ron asked, peering down into the darkness.

Harry shrugged as he slipped his wand back into his pocket. "There's only one way to find out."

Without saying another word, Harry stepped forward and disappeared down the trapdoor. As Harry disappeared, Ron let out a surprised squeak and took a nervous step backwards. Following Harry's lead, Hermione slid her wand away and stepped up to the edge of the trapdoor. Just before she jumped she noticed the room had gone quiet, the harp had stopped playing. Ron had also noticed the change and one look behind him revealed that Fluffy was waking up.

"It's now or never Ron," Hermione said, before jumping into the blackness.

Seconds later Ron followed her and they landed on something soft. Ron was just expressing how lucky they were to have a soft landing when vines twisted around their bodies, squeezing them tight. Looking around in a panic, they found Harry in the same predicament. He was tied up by the plant vines and struggling in vain to get away.

"Stop it," Hermione cried, going still. "This is Devil's Snare. Struggling will only make the plant kill you faster."

"Well that's reassuring," Ron muttered as he continued to struggle.

"I mean it, just relax," Hermione said calmly. "Relax and it will let you go."

Hermione's had barely finished speaking when she sunk into the plant and disappeared from view. Harry and Ron instinctively continued to struggle as they cried out to Hermione.

"Just relax," Hermione called from somewhere underneath them.

Trusting Hermione wouldn't give him bad advice, Harry stopped struggling against the vines holding him. After a few minutes he felt the vines begin to loosen their hold on him and he slowly began to sink into the plant. For a wild moment he thought he was going to be suffocated, but his trust in Hermione kept him calm and he suddenly dropped from the plant and onto the ground next to the brunette witch.

"That was different," Harry said as he got to his feet and brushed himself off.

Above them Ron's cries had reached fever pitch and the pair looked up at the large plant above them with matching scowls etched on their faces.

"He just doesn't listen," Hermione muttered.

"He's not going to relax, is he?" Harry asked.

"No," Hermione replied. "And as much as I would love to leave him there, I think we need to save him. Losing Ron will only tarnish any good we're going to achieve down here."

"Do you know how to save him?" Harry questioned.

Hermione nodded as she pulled out her wand. Pointing it at the plant, she cast a spell and a jet of sunlight shone from the tip of her wand. The sunlight burnt through the Devil's Snare, and it released Ron from its grip. With a squeal, Ron dropped from the giant plant and landed with a thud on the floor beside them.

"Whew, that was close," Ron said as he got to his feet. "Thanks for saving me."

"It's what friends do," Hermione replied with a shrug.

"We should get going," Harry suggested as he looked around and found a door leading from the brick room they were standing in.

"Who knows what sort of lead Snape has on us," Ron agreed as the trio made their way over to the door.

Cautiously, Harry pushed open the door and peered around the edge. When he found a troll lying on the floor, obviously unconscious, he opened the door fully and entered the room. Hermione and Ron followed him, carefully stepping around the troll and making their way across the room. Reaching the door at the opposite end of the room, Harry pulled it open and the trio darted through before the troll woke up.

After leaving the troll behind them they found themselves in a room with hundreds of creatures flapping above their heads. Not taking the time to see what sort of creatures they were trapped with, the threesome ran over to the door at the other end of the room. Unfortunately when Harry tried to open the door they found it was locked.

"What now?" Ron asked as Harry continued to pull at the door.

Looking around for inspiration, Hermione spotted an old broom propped against the wall. Turning her attention to the fluttering creatures above them, she realised they weren't creatures at all. They were various size and shaped keys with wings.

"Up there," She called to the boys. "We need to catch the right key."

Harry and Ron turned their attention to the enchanted keys, and together they located the key they wanted. The key in question was a big old fashioned key that matched the door they were trying to get through, but more telling was the fact one of its wings was broken, indicating it had been caught before.

"Go on Harry, you can do it," Ron said, handing his friend the broom. "If Snape can catch it on this old broom, then you definitely can."

Buoyed by Ron's confidence in him, Harry jumped on the broom and soared up into the air. The instant he was in the air the keys started darting around and moving at a much faster pace and he lost sight of the key he needed. However, he kept his focus and soon relocated the key he desired. Keeping the key firmly in his sights, he flew after it for almost five minutes, before grasping it in his fingertips. Making sure to keep a firm hold of the key, he flew back down to where Hermione and Ron were waiting for him and slid the key into the keyhole.

When the trio travelled into the next room, they couldn't initially see anything but then lights around the room flickered to life and they realised they were standing on a giant chess board. Warily eying the pieces, the trio made their way across the board to where they could see the door hidden behind the chess pieces on the far side of the board. However, the second they reached the pieces they sprung to life, blocking their way with their swords.

"What now?" Harry asked with a frown.

"We play our way across," Ron deduced.

"Do you think this will be like real wizard's chess?" Hermione questioned with a gulp as they backed away from the figures. She had no problem with wizard's chess, but she wasn't keen on the violence when she would be partaking in the game herself.

"There's only one way to find out," Ron replied with a shrug as he led the way back across the board.

Harry and Hermione let Ron take the lead, as he assigned pieces for them to play. While Ron climbed on the back of a horse to play as a knight, the pieces he assigned Harry and Hermione to stepped aside, leaving the pair taking their places. Once they were in position, Ron gave the orders and the game was in progress. Within a couple of moves it became clear the game was exactly like wizards chess as one of the pieces was viciously swiped from the board.

For over half an hour, Ron took control and led the way across the board. In the midst of dodging the flying debris and praying they wouldn't be knocked out, Harry and Hermione had to admit they were pleased they had Ron with them. While they could both play chess, they were nowhere near as good as Ron, and it needed every bit of the redhead's ability to manoeuvre them into a wining position. Unfortunately for Ron, winning meant lining himself up to be sacrificed, while Harry would make the winning move.

"Make sure you save the stone, Harry," Ron said, before making his move.

Hermione couldn't help but wince as Ron's horse manoeuvred into position and he was sent flying as it was hit by the opposing player. Instinctively she moved to go and help Ron, but Harry stopped her by reminding her that the game wasn't over. Staying in place, Hermione watched as Harry made the winning move and checkmated the other side.

The second Harry had won the match, the pair ran over to Ron's side. Their friendship may have been based on what good it would do them, but they were both grateful for the help Ron had provided. Without him, they probably wouldn't have managed to get past the giant chess set. Luckily Ron wasn't badly hurt and they helped him prop himself up against the wall as he caught his breath.

"Go and get the stone," Ron insisted. "I'll be here when you come back."

Not knowing what they were going to face, Hermione decided to go with Harry as he left the chess room. When they entered the next room, they were both glad Hermione had accompanied Harry. In the centre of the room was a table with five bottles spread out and beside them sat a piece of parchment. However, the second they'd entered the room both the door they'd come through and the one they were going to be going through were covered with flames, making them inaccessible.

"It's Severus's potions puzzle," Hermione said as she looked at the bottles.

"What do we do?" Harry asked. "Can I help?"

"It's purely logic," Hermione answered. "Three of the bottles contain water, one bottle contains a potion to allow you to go backwards and the last bottle is what you need to go forwards."

The pair spent a few minutes talking over what happened next, before deciding that Harry would carry on while Hermione would head back to Ron. Giving Hermione a bit of peace and quiet, Harry watched as she thought through the puzzle. Five minutes later, she'd located the two bottles they would need. Handing Harry the bottle to take him forward, she kept the bottle that would enable her to get back to Ron.

"I think we need to execute our emergency protocol," Hermione said. "There's no way we're getting out of here the way we came, not without help."

"Do it," Harry said. "Just give me time to save the stone."

Hermione nodded, before opening her mouth and calling for her own personal house elf, Mitzee. Even though Mitzee didn't work at Hogwarts, they'd already established that wouldn't be a problem as house elves weren't governed by the same rules as witches and wizards. Sure enough, Mitzee appeared directly in front of Hermione.

"Mitzee, I need you to go to Draco," Hermione said. "Tell him it's time to move, but tell him to give us a little bit longer. Do you understand?"

"Yes Miss," Mitzee squeaked, before she disappeared with a small crack.

"Draco will be alone, won't he?" Harry checked.

"I managed to grab him before dinner to tell him it looked like we were on," Hermione confirmed. "He knows to be alone so Mitzee can reach him."

"It looks like this is it," Harry said, taking a deep breath as he looked towards the door he was about to enter.

"Good luck, Harry."

Hermione gave Harry a big hug, before the pair separated and made their way to their respective doors. Sharing one final look, they simultaneously uncorked their bottles and downed the contents. They then turned their backs on each other and headed through their respective doors, each of them ready to carry on with their plan to rescue the Philosopher's Stone and earn Dumbledore's unwavering trust.


	11. Chapter 10

Hoping he wouldn't have to face too many challenges on his own, Harry proceeded onwards with his task. The second he stepped harmlessly through the fire laden door he realised he'd reached the end of his journey. He was now in a large, cavernous room and more importantly he wasn't alone. Standing in the centre of the room, muttering to himself, was Professor Quirrell.

Quirrell was one of the last people Harry had expected to see. He'd dismissed the bumbling Professor as being the one helping his grandfather mainly due to the elder wizard's ineptitude. As a Professor, Quirrell was useless, and Harry would never have thought he was capable of being any use to Voldemort. Then again, maybe his grandfather had picked Quirrell because he was so useless and would fly under people's radars.

Quirrell quickly realised he wasn't alone and whirled round to face Harry. Harry was shocked by the change in his Defence against the Dark Arts Professor. Quirrell's normal nervous disposition was gone and was replaced by someone who looked calm and calculating. As the professor stared at him, Harry got shivers down his back. Either Quirrell had been superbly acting all year, or he was under a very strong imperius curse.

"Potter," Quirrell greeted with a smirk. "Fancy meeting you here."

"I have to say, you're not who I expected," Harry admitted.

"Let's guess, you were expecting Severus," Quirrell replied with a low laugh. "I admit, he does seem the type doesn't he? Alas, Severus is innocent."

"Why are you trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone?" Harry demanded as he tried to come up with a plan of action.

"You know what it is?" Quirrell raised his eyebrow and gave Harry and impressed nod.

"Yes, I know all about the stone," Harry replied. "I know what it can do for you."

"Not for me, dear boy," Quirrell cackled. "For the Dark Lord. The stone will restore him to power."

"You support Voldemort?" Harry questioned.

"You dare say his name," Quirrell hissed. "You're not worthy of saying his name."

"A name is just a name," Harry replied with a casual shrug. "Not saying his name only increases people's fear. Well, I'm not scared of him. Not one little bit."

"Then you're a fool," Quirrell snapped. "A fool I'm willing to give one chance to. Turn round and go back the way you came, or suffer the consequences."

"I think I'll stay," Harry replied as he cautiously began to move forward.

"I will not let you stop me," Quirrell insisted.

"Then go ahead, carry on," Harry said with a friendly smile.

The fact that Quirrell had stopped to talk to him, indicated that something was wrong. The Professor had to have had a bit of a head start on them, so it made no sense that was he was still standing without the stone in his possession. If Quirrell was able to get the stone, he would have been long gone.

Snarling at Harry, Quirrell turned his attention to the place he'd been staring at when Harry had entered the room. Now he was further into the room, Harry could see there was a shelf on the back wall and sitting in the middle of the shelf with the Philosopher's Stone. From where Harry was standing the stone looked unguarded, but there had to be some sort of protection around it if Quirrell didn't have it.

"What's wrong? Can't you break past the spells protecting the stone?" Harry taunted. "I thought you were supposed to be clever. Aren't Professors supposed to have brains?"

"There is no protection spells on the stone," Quirrell snarled. "At least there's no spells that I've ever encountered."

As if to prove his point, Quirrell stepped forward and reached for the stone. The second his fingers came into contact with the stone he screamed in agony and when he pulled away Harry could see the blisters on his hands as though he'd been burnt. Judging by the state of the Professors hands, he'd tried to pick the stone up several times and had failed miserably.

"Now why am I risking my safety?" Quirrell mused, looking at Harry with an evil smirk as an idea began to form in his head. "I have a volunteer right here."

"I'm not touching that stone," Harry said as he backed away. "I'm not stupid enough to touch a stone that I know will burn me."

"You don't have a choice," Quirrell snarled as he pointed his wand at Harry. "Try and get the stone, or I'll kill you."

The dangerous gleam in Quirrell's eyes told Harry that the Professor wasn't bluffing. He definitely looked unstable enough to try and kill him if he refused to do what he wanted. Trying to work out a plan to knock Quirrell out, Harry edged towards the shelf that held the Philosopher's Stone. When he felt Quirrell's wand pressed against the small of his back, he reached out and wrapped his fingers around the stone. After what had happened to Quirrell, Harry had expected the stone to burn him, but it was surprisingly cool to the touch.

"You did it," Quirrell declared with glee. "How?"

"I just reached out and grabbed it," Harry answered, looking down at the stone in his hands. He had no idea how he'd bypassed whatever security charms had been placed on the stone, but he had and now the stone was in his possession.

"Give it to me," Quirrell demanded.

"Hell no," Harry replied.

Sliding the stone into his pocket, he turned to face Quirrell. In the heat of the moment, Quirrell had momentarily dropped his wand and Harry used that to his advantage. Using all his strength, he shoved hard at the older wizard, sending him sprawling to the floor. While Quirrell was on the floor, Harry turned and ran towards the door. However, before he reached the door a jet of light whizzed past his ear and sealed the door shut. Pulling out his own wand, he tried to unlock the door to no avail. Whatever spell Quirrell had used had sealed the door and there was no way out.

"Give me the stone?" Quirrell ordered as he got to his feet.

"Never," Harry replied.

Turning round he pointed his wand at a rapidly approaching Quirrell, who shot a stunning spell at Harry. Even though he was only eleven his grandfather and father had taught him enough magic that he was confident he could defend himself. Quirrell of course didn't know just how skilled Harry was and he entered their duel underestimating his opponent.

Spells were hurled around the room as both Quirrell and Harry battled for the upper hand. Even though Harry was more skilled than most first years, he was still no match for a fully grown wizard and Quirrell soon had the upper hand. Stumbling backwards as a stinging curse hit him, Harry tripped on his feet and went sprawling to the floor. Quick as a flash, Quirrell had dropped his wand and had his hands wrapped round Harry's throat.

Struggling for breath, Harry's hand reached down to his pocket. His wand had been whipped out of his hand moments earlier, and the only thing he could think of to help was the Philosopher's Stone. As he began to see spots, Harry summoned all his strength and thrust the stone into the side of Quirrell's head. Instantly Quirrell let go of Harry as he howled in pain. Pushing Quirrell off him, Harry sat up gasping for air as Quirrell lay on the floor writhing in pain. The side of his face where Harry had hit him was red and blistered, but Harry couldn't summon any sympathy for the older wizard.

Stumbling away, he picked up his wand and stunned a writhing Quirrell. Keeping his wand clutched in his hand, he slid down onto the floor, resting his back against the wall. Hopefully Quirrell would remain unconscious until help arrived, but just in case he didn't plan to take his eyes off the older wizard.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Wishing she could help Harry with what lay ahead of him, Hermione reluctantly returned to where Ron was still sitting propped up beside the wall. Much to her surprise when she entered the room, she found the chess pieces had tidied themselves up and were back in place.

"What happened?" Ron asked.

"We had to solve a logic problem," Hermione answered. "Harry carried on, while I came back. We need to get back up into the main body of the castle somehow and get help. Who knows what Harry's facing down there."

"He'll be okay," Ron said with confidence as he struggled to his feet.

"Are you okay Ron?" Hermione asked, noticing that the redhead was holding one of his arms against his body.

"My shoulder hurts," Ron admitted. "I think it may be dislocated. But other than that I'm fine, well apart from a few bruises."

"Considering the way you fell, it's lucky that's all you're suffering from," Hermione remarked. "Although speaking of the chess game, what happened to it? It looks like we've never played."

"After you and Harry left the room, it just started to put itself back together," Ron replied.

"I guess we should have expected something like that," Hermione mused. "Someone's clearly passed through here before us, so it makes sense they would have played the game."

"Maybe Snape bypassed the game somehow," Ron suggested.

"He couldn't bypass any of the other obstacles," Hermione argued. They'd seen evidence that someone had been present in several of the rooms, including the room with the knocked out troll, the room with the kinked key and of course Fluffy who was asleep.

"I don't suppose that really matters now," Ron said. "We should just head back and get help for Harry."

Nodding in agreement, Hermione fell into step alongside Ron as they made their way back towards the door they entered from. Luckily the chess pieces didn't try and stop them and they were able to leave the room without playing another game of chess. They were also able to pass straight through the room with the flying keys without incident. When they entered the room with the troll they entered cautiously and when they found the large creature still passed out on the floor, they darted across the room at top speed and returned to where they'd fallen from the Devil's Snare.

"Now what?" Ron asked, looking upwards.

Because Hermione had used magic to release Ron from the Devil's Snare the plant was all withered and they could see upwards into the room where Fluffy was. They could also hear the giant three headed dog pacing about above their heads and occasionally growling softly. As they continued to look up they even saw him looking down the hole a few times, but luckily he was too big to fit down the trapdoor.

"I have no idea," Hermione replied. Her plan was to have Draco send Severus to help them, so they would probably have to just wait for her big brother to arrive.

"Can we levitate up?" Ron asked. "You mastered that spell really quickly in charms."

"You seriously expect me to levitate you up through the trapdoor?" Hermione asked in bewilderment. "You're not a feather, you know."

"Are you calling me fat?" Ron frowned.

"No, I'm pointing out a growing boy is a lot more difficult to levitate then a feather," Hermione retorted. "Unless you want to risk injury, there's going to be no levitating."

Ron fell silent after that and Hermione guessed he was trying to think of ways they could get help. A few minutes later, his eyes lit up as he came up with an idea. They could go back and get the broom from the room with the keys. Hermione had to admit the idea had merit, and she was more than happy to agree to let Ron go and get the broom. Unfortunately they hit a hitch when Ron went sneaking back past the troll to the key room, only to return empty handed.

"Where's the broom?" Hermione questioned when Ron returned empty handed.

"It wouldn't leave the room," Ron muttered as he slumped against the wall. "We're stuck."

"I'm sure we'll think of something," Hermione said as she slid down onto the floor beside Ron.

Now all they could do was wait for Draco for come to their rescue, and hope that while he gave Harry enough time to save the stone that help arrived before something happened to him.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

When Hermione grabbed him before dinner and told him that they thought tonight was the night, Draco had made sure he was alone as much as possible. After dinner, he'd retreated to the boys dorms citing a headache, and when he made it clear he wanted some peace and quiet no-one dared to disturb him. Once it got later and the other boys headed up to bed, Draco snuck down to the common room and settled himself in front of the fire with a book.

That was where he was when Mitzee, Hermione's personal elf, appeared in front of him. Mitzee quickly passed the message on from Hermione, before disappearing before anyone saw her. Draco wondered how much time Harry would need as he snuck out of the common room and made his way to Severus's office. Hopefully Severus would have some sort of idea of how much Harry had to do to get to the stone.

Severus answered his door almost as soon as Draco knocked and the blond boy wondered if his head of house had been expecting him. It certainly didn't look like he'd aroused Severus from his sleep, or even from his private quarters that were attached to his office.

"Hermione and Harry are down with the stone," Draco told Severus as he entered the room. "Hermione sent a message saying they need help to get back up to the castle. She also said we needed to give Harry time to find the stone and save it."

"Getting through to the stone will be time consuming enough," Severus replied. "By the time I reach him, Harry will hopefully have succeeded. But if not, I'll have to help him and wipe Quirrell's memories of the incident."

"Quirrell?" Draco gasped in shock. "He's the one working for The Dark Lord?"

"Yes," Severus replied with a nod. "Or at least, I'm fairly sure he is. I just don't know if he's genuinely a supporter or if he's under the Imperius curse. Either way, he's a very different man from the one I've known all these years."

"What do you mean?" Draco asked with a frown. "I thought this was his first year at Hogwarts. One of the older students was complaining about how the old Defence against the Dark Arts Professor was much better than Quirrell."

"This is his first year teaching Defence," Severus explained. "For years he was the muggle studies Professor, but a few years ago he said he needed a break and he went travelling. Dumbledore offered him the Defence position as he was supposed to have faced all sorts of dangers during his travels."

"If he'd faced all sorts of danger, he would be dead," Draco said with a snort. "He's useless."

"Useless or not, he's with my son," Severus said. "And I need to get to him."

"How are you going to explain finding Harry and Hermione with the stone?" Draco asked.

"Easy," Severus replied with a smirk. "I'm going to go out for a walk and just happen upon a door that should be closed. I'll investigate and find they've breached the first line of defence. From there, it's my duty as a Professor to save the day."

"Can I help?" Draco asked, eager to be a part of things.

"I'm afraid not," Severus said, giving the young boy a pat on the shoulder. "You should go back to bed, Draco. I'm sure Hermione and Harry will tell you all about it when they can."

With a disappointed sigh, Draco headed back to the Slytherin dorms while Severus headed off to the third floor to make sure Harry and Hermione were safe.


	12. Chapter 11

Hermione sat on a bed in the hospital wing, annoyed that Madam Pomfrey wouldn't take her word that she was fine. After a short wait, Severus had shown up and put Fluffy back to sleep by re-enchanting the harp. He'd then created a staircase, which Hermione and Ron had climbed. Ron had been blown away to see the Potions Professor rescuing them as he'd been convinced that he was down below with Harry. Hermione told Severus everything, while making it seem like the head of Slytherin was dragging the information out of her. Severus had then sent them off to the hospital wing while he headed down to find Harry.

Upon arrival at the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey had sent for Professor McGonagall and Hermione had recounted the entire incident. McGonagall clearly wasn't happy that the trio had gone looking for trouble, but she didn't say much as she headed off to send for Dumbledore. So far, McGonagall hadn't returned with the headmaster, nor was there any sign of Severus and Harry.

Just as Hermione was starting to get worried, the doors to the hospital wing flew open and Severus stalked into the room. At his side was a dishevelled looking Harry and floating along behind the Potions Professor was an unconscious Quirrell. While Ron's shoulder was dislocated and he'd been ordered not to move, Hermione had no such problems and she jumped off the bed and raced over to her best friend.

"Harry, we were so worried about you," She said as she hugged Harry tightly.

"I'm alright," Harry replied with a smile.

"That's debatable," Severus muttered crossly, although his voice was low enough that neither Ron nor Madam Pomfrey would have heard.

"What happened here?" Madam Pomfrey asked as Severus dropped the spell on Quirrell, causing him to fall onto a nearby bed.

"Potter stopped Quirrell from stealing a valuable object," Severus replied. "You'll have to get the details from him."

Madam Pomfrey glanced between the unconscious Professor and the ruffled first year, before focusing on Harry. Ushering him over to a bed, she began to examine him and check he was alright. Harry's main injuries were bruises on his neck where Quirrell had tried to strangle him. Hermione was horrified when Harry described how the older wizard was choking the life out of him, and she could clearly see why her brother was concerned.

"Who would have thought it was Quirrell," Ron said, shaking his head at the sight of the unconscious Professor.

"What happened to his hands and face?" Madam Pomfrey asked Harry as she turned her attention to her next patient.

"The stone kept burning him for some reason," Harry explained. "Every time he tried to pick it up, it would burn his hands. And I hit him in the head with the stone when he was trying to kill me."

"Are you burnt anywhere?" Madam Pomfrey asked, turning back to Harry with concern written all over her face.

"No, the stone didn't burn me for some reason," Harry replied.

"I wonder why not," Hermione mused from where she was sitting beside Harry.

"I guess we'll never know," Harry said with a shrug.

Just then the doors to the hospital wing burst open again, and McGonagall returned with Dumbledore. Dumbledore instantly began asking questions and the trio explained everything. They explained how they'd stumbled upon Fluffy months ago and had worked out what was being hidden at the school. They also explained how they were worried when Dumbledore had gone for the day and had decided to check on Fluffy just to be sure.

"Maybe it wasn't my wisest move to hide the stone in the school," Dumbledore said with a sigh. "But I never thought I would have traitors on my staff," He added sadly, looking over at Quirrell who still hadn't woken.

"Is he a traitor, or is he under the Imperius curse?" McGonagall asked. "I have to admit, I never saw Quirinus as the Death Eater type."

"Severus?" Dumbledore turned to the Potions Professor. "Can you help?"

"When I arrived at the scene he was unconscious, but he woke up and started rambling," Severus answered. "Before I had to stun him again he sounded pretty fanatical, but I suppose there's a possibility that he's under the Imperius curse."

"I suppose that's for the Aurors to decide," Dumbledore said. "Minerva, can you contact them and have someone come to collect him. And Severus, once Poppy has made sure he's okay, you can take him to my office and restrain him. I'll be along shortly, I just want to talk to Mr Potter and his friends."

Ten minutes later, everyone had left the hospital wing and it was just the three first years and the headmaster. Settling down a chair beside Harry's bed, he asked more questions about what had happened and what each of them had done to contribute to the rescue of the stone. Hermione got the impression that he was deeply impressed with all three of them and the intelligence they displayed in getting to the stone.

"What I don't understand is how the stone burnt Quirrell, but I was fine," Harry said. "I picked the stone up without a problem, but he couldn't do the same."

"That was my enchantment," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I enchanted the stone so that only a Gryffindor could touch the stone. For anyone else, the stone would have burnt their flesh."

Hermione and Harry were both horrified by the enchantment and it just confirmed everything they'd ever been told about Dumbledore. He considered Gryffindors above reproach and it wouldn't enter his mind that one of them would betray him. To be honest the thought that all Gryffindors were trustworthy was idiotic, and one day they were sure thoughts like that would trip the old headmaster up. Ron of course thought the idea was genius, and he was on board with the thought that all Gryffindors could be trusted implicitly.

"What's going to happen to the stone now?" Harry asked. "We left it down there as Professor Snape didn't want to risk bringing it up into school without precautions in place."

"I'm going down to get it, and I'll be destroying the stone," Dumbledore answered. "I think recent events have just proved how dangerous the stone truly is. I think the whole world will be better off without it."

With it being the middle of the night, Dumbledore insisted the trio remained in the hospital wing overnight before he headed off to deal with Quirrell and the stone. Even though the threesome would have much rather returned to Gryffindor Tower, they knew better than to argue. Instead they all settled down in the hospital wing and almost instantly fell asleep as events of the night caught up with them.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Within twenty four hours, word of what had happened with the Gryffindor trio and Quirrell had spread all across the school. Of course since Harry, Ron and Hermione hadn't actually given their version of events, things were a bit skewed and all sorts of rumours were being spread. What all the rumours agreed on was that Quirrell was working for the bad guys and that Harry had stopped him, sealing his place as a hero. Of course the fact that Quirrell had been sent to Azkaban, the foreboding wizarding prison in the North Sea, only fuelled the rumours that he was an actual Death Eater.

After a weekend of wild rumours, Dumbledore finally put the record straight on the Sunday evening. Normally dinners were pretty informal affairs, but before any food could be served, Dumbledore had stood up and told the entire story of how Harry had saved the Philosopher's Stone from falling into the hands of the bad guys.

"Great just what we need," Theo muttered from where he was sitting beside Draco at the Slytherin table. "Potter the hero. He's going to be insufferable."

"The fuss will wear down in a week or two," Draco replied.

"It's the end of the year in just over two weeks," Blaise pointed out. "Do you really think this will die down in that time?"

Before Draco got a chance to answer, the Slytherins attention was returned to Dumbledore as he announced that recent events needed to be recognised. Wondering what Dumbledore was going to do, the Slytherins were left horrified when the headmaster began doling out house points to the Gryffindors. Although the worst of it was, he wasn't doling out normal amounts of house points, he was doling out vast over the top amounts of points. Harry got a hundred points, for saving the stone, Ron got eighty point for playing a chess match, Hermione got another eighty points for being cool in a crisis and to top it all off Neville got forty points just for standing up to his friends and trying to stop them from leaving Gryffindor Tower.

"That's three hundred points," Theo snarled as the Gryffindors cheered a few tables over. "It's going to be impossible for anyone to overhaul them before the end of the year."

"Yeah, even if we win the quidditch cup, that's only one hundred and fifty points," Blaise grumbled. "Bloody Dumbledore's made sure Gryffindor's won the house cup."

Sure enough at the end of term feast two weeks later, Gryffindor won the house cup by a landslide. The house points awarded by Dumbledore after the incident with the Philosopher's Stone, were just far too much for any of the other houses to catch up with.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

After a rollercoaster final few weeks at school, it was finally the end of term. Both Harry and Hermione boarded the Hogwarts Express eager to get home. Along with Ron, they'd both been bombarded with people asking them about what happened with Quirrell and the stone, and as such they'd have very little time to spend with Draco. They'd managed one real meeting where they'd told him the entire story, but other than that they'd barely seen their best friend. They were looking forward to a long, summer where they wouldn't have to hide and pretend to be people they weren't.

Fortunately the train ride seemed to fly over and before they knew it they were back in London. On the platform, they said goodbye to Ron and promised to write over the holidays. Ron even invited them both to visit his family over the summer, but both Harry and Hermione said they would have to ask permission. If they could they were both planning on ducking the invitation, but they knew that before long they would have to accept and spend some time with Ron outside of school. But hopefully, that wouldn't be happening this summer.

As expected Beth was waiting on the platform for them, and they went through the usual routine of pretending to escort Harry into the muggle world to meet up with his relatives. Also as usual, the second they were out of the sight of anyone who might know them from school, they all headed home together.

Harry and Hermione's return home was victorious and Voldemort was in a great mood when he saw his daughter and grandson. The plan had worked perfectly, and in their first year at Hogwarts the pair had secured themselves a place in Dumbledore's trust. From now on it would take a hell of a lot for the old wizard to become suspicious of them. After saving the Philosopher's Stone, they were heroes.

On their first night back home, the Malfoys came for dinner. Of course the main topic of conversation was what had happened at Hogwarts and the three youngsters were more than happy to tell their stories. For the first time Harry and Hermione could really compare notes with Draco, and it was interesting to hear about the same experiences from different sides. Although, unsurprisingly their thoughts were often in sync and Harry and Hermione often shared Draco's grievances. The house points at the end being a perfect example of how similar their views were. Like Draco and his friends, Harry and Hermione felt that Dumbledore had been far too generous in his apportioning of points and he'd ensured Gryffindor had won the house cup by such a large margin.

"I would get used to displays like that if I were you," Severus warned the trio. "It's very clear that Harry is going to become Dumbledore's pet. My guess is, he'll be able to do no wrong in the coming years."

"I do have one question," Hermione said as Draco grumbled about how unfair Dumbledore was. "Does Quirrell genuinely support you, or was he under the Imperius curse?"

"Neither," Voldemort replied with a smirk. "He had a run-in with some vampire acquaintances of mine in the Black Forest. It left him rather disturbed. A simple bit of mind control was enough to get him on board with my plans. I would have used the Imperius curse if necessary, but I didn't have to use magic that strong."

"What'll happen to him now he's in Azkaban?" Harry asked.

"Not a lot I shouldn't think," Voldemort replied. "But no matter what, I have no use for him. He's not a true follower, and I don't need idiots like him in my ranks. I have other plans, and they don't involve Quirinus Quirrell."

"What sort of plans?" Hermione asked excitedly. "Are we involved?"

Voldemort chuckled at his daughter's eagerness to help. "Patience Hermione. We've got the whole summer ahead of us. Let's enjoy some quiet time before we start planning our next move."

With the subject of next year dropped, everyone's attention re-focused back on the year that had just happened. It had been an interesting first year for Harry, Draco and Hermione, and their future years at school looked to be just as exciting. One thing was for sure, there wouldn't be a dull moment for the trio as they attended Hogwarts.

 **T** **h** **e** **E** **n** **d** **.**

* * *

 **A/N – I'm sorry if people had issues with Wednesday's chapter, but it seemed like fanfiction was playing up all round. Hopefully this update will go out fine and there'll be no problems with the end of the story.**

 **I want to thank everyone for reading and reviewing the story, and I want to reiterate that I will be continuing with the next six parts. I was planning on publishing a longer story before I started on year 2, but I think I might just publish a short five part story next week and start year 2 the week afterwards. As for further parts, there will probably be longer gaps in between years as I have to write them and at the same time I don't want to abandon my other stories.**

 **Thanks again for reading, and I'll be back soon with Children of the Dark – Year 2.**


	13. SEQUEL NOTIFICATION

**A/N – Children of the Dark – Year 2 is now up.**


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